How The Celtics Proved Their Worth During Their East Coast Sweep Of The Pacers

Derrick White Stays Humble After Celtics Sweep Pacers In ECF
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White has plenty to boast about but instead he took a different approach after the Eastern Conference Finals.
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The Boston Celtics dusted their hands off and put the brooms down with a sigh of relief by eliminating the Indiana Pacers in four games to secure a ticket back to the NBA Finals.

Huddling up to raise the Bob Cousy Trophy alongside Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was the organization’s carefully planned vision. In the offseason, the risky but correct triggers were pulled, and during the regular season, the roster committed to ensuring that history wouldn’t repeat itself, and thoughts of what-if wouldn’t loom.

We got a lot of great players in our locker room that made big-time plays,” series MVP Jaylen Brown said after Boston’s 105-102 win, per CLNS Media. “Jrue (Holiday) was one game, (Derrick) White was this game, Al (Horford) was another game, (Jayson Tatum); we’ve all been able to take turns just being able to make impactful winning plays and that’s what it’s about.”

Entering the year, it was no secret that Boston would need to live up to the hype of the blueprint president of basketball operations Brad Stevens laid down on the parquet. Swapping Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams for Kristaps Porizingis and Jrue Holiday wasn’t done to boost the roster’s popularity — which it did. Restructuring the cast surrounding Tatum and Brown was a tip-of-the-cap from ownership, expressing its trust in Boston’s co-stars to make the most of an already great situation.

Multi-year contract extensions were given to Brown, Porzingis and Holiday before walking into the postseason, signaling ownership’s willingness to keep the core intact for as long as possible.

Taking the postseason one step at a time, and following a league-best 64-win regular season, the Celtics understood the assignment. In no situation, regardless of whether Porzingis is healthy or not, would falling in the first, second or conference final rounds be acceptable again. It’s championship or bust, and especially considering the beneficial circumstances of postseason injuries striking Miami, Cleveland and Indiana. It’s always been — and still remains — Boston’s Finals appearance lose.