The Celtics currently are enjoying a weeklong layoff before their first-round NBA playoff series tips off this Sunday.
During that break, veteran guard Derrick White sat down with the Herald to discuss Boston’s bid for back-to-back championships, his case for the All-Defensive first team, his unusual preparation for his first pitch at Fenway Park and his latest collaboration with Samuel Adams, which released a line of White-themed merchandise on Tuesday.
Q: What’s the mindset within the team with the playoffs now here?
White: “Everybody’s super excited. This is the best time of the year and what we prepare for the whole season, so it’s a lot of fun. I feel like this week’s going to take forever, but everybody’s looking forward to it.”
What lessons from last year’s championship run can you apply to this postseason?
“I think just all that experience is always beneficial. I feel like we’ve had a lot of different series and a lot of different ways to win, so that experience will be definitely beneficial. And I think just understanding that whatever it takes is what it takes, and never having a set mind that we need to win this series (in) five or whatever. Just doing whatever it takes to win and move on.”
How much has that experience and continuity, with last season’s entire playoff rotation still intact, helped the team this season, especially during the Celtics’ winter slump (11-10 record from Dec. 19 to Jan. 27)?
“It’s been big. Especially when you go into those tough times, just knowing that you can trust the guy next to you. We just have so much fun, and we enjoy each other’s company. So when times are going to be tough — there’s going to be ups and downs throughout the whole season — we just trust one another, and it’s always great suiting up with the guys we’ve got.”
After last year’s long playoff run, followed by the Olympics, you played in all but four of the Celtics’ games this season, with two of your DNPs coming in the final week. Did you change anything about your approach to ensure you stayed healthy and available?
“Not really. I just kind of stayed on the go, kind of never really got out of shape or anything like that. So just stayed consistent with it and just tried to work on our routines and the things that I need to do. I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of just trying to be consistent with everything so I’m able to play and able to help us win games. I don’t think I changed too much from year to year. Just trying to be consistent with my routine.”
You made the All-Defensive second team in each of the last two seasons. Is first-team All-Defense a goal of yours? (White was one of three NBA players, along with Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. and Houston’s Amen Thompson, to record 70-plus steals and 80-plus blocks this season.)
“Not really. That’s kind of out of my control. I’m just trying to go and help us win, and if I get it, that would be awesome. If I don’t, it’s still OK. So I wouldn’t say it’s a goal of mine. Just trying to go out there and compete and have fun doing it.”
How did you prepare for your first pitch at Fenway Park last week?
“That was really cool. I’ve always wanted to throw out a first pitch, and to do it in Fenway, it was amazing. But I threw the baseball on the side of the field before I went out there, and I do this baseball game with one of our strength coaches before every shootaround. So it wasn’t crazy that I was throwing a ball, but being on a mound was a little bit different.”
What does that baseball game look like?
“A lot of different things. We’ve got an accuracy challenge, like, who can hit a certain spot? And then we’ve got a pick ’em challenge where you throw it and they’ve got to scoop it. Just a bunch of fun games. … He brings the glove everywhere — on the road and obviously at home.”
