The Boston Celtics‘ 119-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals’ first round was in some ways a tale told by two very distinct reactions by the crowd at TD Garden.
The Hawks have struggled to find their groove on the offensive end of the court on a team with the roster primarily geared towards playing a style of ball that emphasizes the offense of their one true star player in Trae Young. That opens the ball club up to weaknesses on the defensive end of the court vs. teams like the Celtics who have multiple stars and a strong supporting cast able to exploit said weaknesses.
Boston’s Derrick White being a proverbial thorn in the side of the Hawks in this series while Atlanta struggles to keep Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown contained is perhaps the most salient example we’ve seen in the series so far.
Let’s take a look at some of the best plays captured in images from the Celtics’ Game 2 vs. the Hawks in the first round of the ’23 playoffs. https://t.co/ISq4uUauUc
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 19, 2023
Celtics fans chanting "Overrated" at Trae Young in the 4th as he shot free throws 🫥 pic.twitter.com/wZTcrlQ7Wt
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) April 19, 2023
Young’s size and disinclination to expend maximum effort on the defensive side of the floor while also being the focal point of the offense has made the Hawks’ star struggle.
And that it is coming so soon after being voted the “most overrated” player in the league by a panel of over 100 players made for quite the heckling by the crowd at TD Garden.
On the other side of the court, White has been absolutely electric in the postseason so far, building on a strong finish to the regular season as his role as Bosotn’s third option has solidified.
The Celtics went up 2-0 last night but the highlight of my night was the MVP chants for Derrick White pic.twitter.com/f9ymDIJQDK
— jordan ☘️ (@whataa_jem) April 19, 2023
And while the Colorado native has a way to go before he is earnestly a full-season MVP candidate, it is not outrageous to suggest that White has been the MVP of the Celtics’ postseason run to date.
When asked about those chants postgame, White suggested that they were for “JT, not me.” But his interlocutor, NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin, disagreed, noting “it was you tonight, Derrick.”
Rightfully called the best player on the floor for Boston, the Colorado alum has long been among the most underrated players in the league, going so far under the radar even his peers don’t give him that nod, at least yet.
But with the attention trained squarely on Brown and Tatum allowing White to devastate opponents as they try to cope with a pair of All-NBA wings, it’s hard to see how that trend can continue for much longer.
