The bad news continues in the form of an absence for the Boston Celtics. The Massachusetts team just announce that Derrick White will not be able to play in the second game of the Eastern Conference finals due to personal causes. In addition to the former Spurs player, the Celtics will have to face tonight’s game without Al Horford and, probably, Marcus Smart. The Dominican remains under the health protocol that is affecting a good part of the Boston expedition and the point guard is finalizing his recovery from the small foot sprain that he suffered in the seventh against Milwaukee.
White had actually been Smart’s replacement in the starting five during the first game against Miami. The outside was being one of the keys for Ime Udoka when it came to planning a rotation that was quite punished by losses from the first day. His numbers have suffered a considerable drop compared to the regular season, in part due to a lower shooting volume. However, once the playoffs come, it is more important than in any other circumstance not to clash when sharing minutes with the main unit, and there White feels like one more thanks to his defensive versatility and reading in attack. In this postseason his averages are 24,2 minutes, 6,7 points and 2,5 assists.
If Smart ultimately goes down, Udoka will likely be forced to start with Payton Pritchard as the starting point guard. Although the young man lived a moment of offensive inspiration, he was already one of the main targets of the attack of the Heat during the game that opened the series. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and company did not stop looking for him in blocks and defensive change situations to generate advantages for the rest.
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