Derrick White Explains the ‘Basketball Joy’ of the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics team of this year is not the same as the one that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals’ Game 7 the previous season. It’s not only that Marcus Smart, a seasoned guard, has joined the Memphis Grizzlies, and Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are in town.
Derrick White claims that the adjustment has nothing to do with the players on the squad. It has a lot more to do with the players’ and head coach Joe Mazzulla’s advocacy of “basketball joy.”
Talking About “Basketball Joy” With The Boston Celtics, Derrick White
The Boston Celtics have a six-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in second place in the Eastern Conference, but they have earned it the proper way.
This season, standout players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have made sacrifices. They are not by alone. Holiday, Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis have all witnessed a decline in their numbers from a year ago. None of them mind if the team is winning as long as it is.
White recently discussed the Celtics sharing the riches and the “basketball joy” they have had this season on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI in Boston.
On the radio program, White stated, “Joes been great, trying to instill the basketball joy—we talk about that all the time.” “You should play appropriately. The ball must be moved by you. We’re a pretty excellent team when we’re moving the ball, enjoying ourselves, and feeling that excitement.
“Obviously, having KP and Jrue here simply gives us a ton of options and increases the number of ways we can win games going forward. We simply want to keep improving so that by the end of the year, we can play the best basketball possible. It’s been a lot of fun.
White Mentioned the Sacrifices Made by the Players of the Celtics
Tatum mentioned earlier in the season that the majority of the Celtics players had noticed a decline in their production. Additionally, he stated that as long as the Celtics have a “W” next to their name in the box score, he has no issue with the decline in numbers.
“I’m sure none of us are averaging points at career-high levels, am I right?” Tatum stated in December. “All of us have declined, but it is better for the group as a whole. We realize that the greater importance lies in our collective achievement. We are aware of the final objective.
White noted that this year’s discourse of sacrifice started on the first day of the year.
Indeed, we had discussed it before to the year, according to White. “Everyone knows they can’t begin. We are aware None of us can complete. Most likely, we won’t average the most points during our careers. We just had to come to terms with the fact that every night would bring a new person.
On certain evenings, Al will finish when I don’t. Sometimes, Jrue would come to an end. We simply gave ourselves over to the idea of victory. We simply think that way, and we discussed it right at the start of the year. We’re all simply pleased that night, regardless of who it is—especially when we win.”
