The Celtics trailed by 19 at halftime. Boos from the TD Garden crowd trailed them as they headed to the locker room. Inside, Joe Mazzulla and Derrick White shared a light-weight second.
“I just laughed with him,” Mazzulla stated. “We both agreed it was probably the worst half he’s ever played in his career.”
He most likely wasn’t far off. At least by the usual White has set for himself. The do-it-all guard had hardly made an affect on the sport. He had as many turnovers (2) as factors. He missed 4 of his 5 pictures, together with when he utterly gaffed on a layup try and hit nothing however air.
On one sequence within the second quarter, White dedicated a turnover after which slipped and fell operating again on protection, permitting the Pistons to get one other straightforward basket.
White wanted a change. So, after a number of slips within the first half, he switched out his sneakers from an orange pair to some blue ones.
“It was like, I might as well try something else,” White stated. “That was a horrible first half, so I just had to try something else and start playing a little bit better.”
As for his dialog with Mazzulla?
“He didn’t even have to tell me. I knew that. Anything that could go wrong was going wrong for me there. It was just a rough first half. Just took those 15 minutes to reset again and get back after it.”
It needed to be the sneakers. White appeared like a distinct participant within the second half, or a minimum of the one the Celtics count on on a nightly foundation. He scored 21 factors within the second half and extra time, together with 10 within the further session, as he helped spur the Celtics’ thrilling comeback win over the Pistons. He was in all places. He recorded two blocks within the fourth, together with one other terrific swat in transition. His deep 3-pointer late in extra time helped seal the sport.
White doesn’t have unhealthy stretches usually. He’s been arguably the Celtics’ most dependable and constant participant this season, which has given him some buzz for All-Star consideration. It wasn’t beautiful how he responded within the second half, nevertheless it additional solidified how a lot he may be counted on.
“He just kept playing,” Mazzulla stated. “Kind of laughed about it and didn’t change anything, and he went out and played a great second half. So guys like him, he has great poise, great stability. That’s probably the first time I’ve ever seen it just not go his way. And I really liked how he responded.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com