Derrick White learned an important lesson from former Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson.
The Boston Celtics ultimately crossed the final hurdle of the Eastern Conference as they won the Golden State Warriors during the 2022 NBA Finals.
It was a battle between the young Celtics stars against experienced Warriors veterans. Ultimately, Dub won thanks to a memorable management by Stephen Curry.
However, the defeat helped Derrick White learn valuable lessons from then-warrior star Klay Thompson.
The Warriors left with a 4-2 series victory in the 2022 NBA Finals, but their backs were against the wall in the first three games.
After all, heading into Game 4, the Celtics led the Warriors 2-1. But that’s when the momentum of the series shifted towards the warriors.
“They go down 2-1 and never flinch. Yeah. Clay thought, “When I went down 2-1 with the Cleveland cab and 2-1, I thought, “It reminds me of ’15’ of this kind,” White recalled on the White Noise podcast.
As White pointed out, the Cleveland Cavaliers led the dub 2-1 during the 2015 NBA Finals. But the Warriors’ incredible tactics surprised even LeBron James.
“They are literally where we were and never weren’t flinched,” White continued.
“So he added, ‘Oh, if I wasn’t worried, I was here, we did this. We won this. We lost in this situation,’ he added.’
Fast forward to the 2024 NBA Finals, the Celtics entered with an unbreakable spirit against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics closed the series with five games, but it would have never been possible for the 2022 final without a defeat at the hands of the Warriors on a per-White basis.
“So, I think it’s incredibly valuable to have that experience. Yes. Then there were 22 experiences. So when we won Game 1, ‘This Game 2 was very important.’ We already won Game 1.
This is like this different level of focus, and the different level of consistency that arises from experience,” White said.
“It comes from knowing how to handle the highs and lows and ups and downs of the game.
It is certainly ironic that the loss gave the Celtics the confidence to dominate the 2024 NBA Finals as the team finished the 16 Championship drought.