Derrick White Had Comical Line About Losing His Teeth After Celtics Win NBA Title
The Boston Celtics added to their extensive trophy case on Sunday night, clinching their record 18th NBA championship after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game NBA Finals series.
The team sacrificed all season long and are now set to celebrate the fruits of their labor.
As for Derrick White, the star guard will certainly soak in the championship victory, though he’ll also be reaching out to his dentist in order get some much-needed work done.
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White took a hard fall during Game 5, hitting the floor face-first after a collision with Dereck Lively which resulted in a chipped front tooth. When asked about the incident during the trophy presentation, White comically admitted that he’d have traded all of his teeth for a ring.
“I’d lose all my teeth for a championship,” White said while the Celtics were being awarded the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
White was a two-way star for the Celtics throughout the playoffs, coming up with multiple pivotal defensive stops, while also proving to be a more than capable threat from beyond the arc. He averaged 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night in the Finals, while playing 36.8 minutes per contest.
Although he’ll likely be feeling sore after the vicious fall he took during the game, the chipped tooth was a small price to pay for the glory of winning an NBA title.
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Derrick White chips tooth but luckily avoids major injury as his face smacks into the court floor – before Boston Celtics become NBA champions!
Celtics guard Derrick White chipped a tooth after a brutal collision with Dallas’ Dereck Lively II in Game 5 of the NBA Finals – but said he’d gladly lose all his teeth to be an NBA champion after winning a title for the first time.
On an historic night for Boston, White was fortunate to avoid a nastier facial injury in the second quarter of Monday night’s closeout game in Boston. He dove for a loose ball but stumbled and as he went head-first to retrieve the rock, Dereck Lively accidentally planted his weight onto him as he also fell to the ground.
Lively’s forearm ended up on the back of White’s head, slamming his face onto the hardwood. Shaken up, White walked back to the bench with blood on his hand and mouth. However, the scramble did not keep him from staying in the game.
After the scare, White shook off the impact and made a three-pointer to help the Celtics secure a 67-46 lead at halftime. It was later revealed that he chipped his front tooth while avoiding further facial injuries – the camera catching him seemingly grinning to show off the damage.
It ended up being the endearing image of the night, with White the hero as the Celtics beat the Mavericks 106-88 to become NBA champions.
Derrick White chipped his tooth after a brutal collision with Dereck Lively II in Game 5
Derrick White is already back in the game after this. ✊
pic.twitter.com/cAq4HyKYbI
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 18, 2024
‘I’ll lose all my teeth for a championship,’ White told a jubilant TD Garden on the court after the game, through a swollen lip, to wild cheers from the crowd.
‘Man, this is what we work for. I’ll get it fixed. I’m gonna enjoy this one,’ he added.
He scored 14 points on the night, with eight rebounds and an assist as he became an NBA champion for the first time in his career.
The Celtics also tweeted out a picture of White smiling on the court to show off his chipped tooth on a special night for Boston.
The Eastern Conference Champions routed the Miami Heat in five games and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the same number before sweeping the Indiana Pacers to secure another title opportunity.
On the other hand, the Mavericks bested the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder in six before spoiling the Minnesota Timberwolves’ fairytale run in five games in the conference finals.
The Celtics took a commanding 3-0 after winning the first three games, 107-89, 105-98, and 106-99.
White is averaging a career-high 16.0 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in the playoffs
The Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the Mavericks before getting dominated 122-84 in Game 4
Boston has the opportunity to win their 18th franchise championship and first since 2008
With the sweep on a silver platter, the Mavericks came back roaring and dominated Boston 122-84 in Game 4.
With a deflating 92-60 lead at the end of the third, both teams rested their starters early as Boston conceded in one of the most one-sided beatings in the NBA Finals.
White has been vital to the Celtics’ success and is enjoying his most successful postseason run. So far in these playoffs, White was averaging a career-high 16.0 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds as his team closed in on the title.
