Derrick White joins Michael Jordan in uncommon playoff firm with putback buzzer-beater

Celtics

White’s buzzer-beater saved the Celtics’ season. He made NBA historical past within the course of.

Derrick White helped save the Celtics’ season on Saturday with a dramatic Sport 6 win. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Photographs

Derrick White had a putback for the ages on Saturday. It was additionally a traditionally uncommon feat.

You seemingly know the story by now. However in case you want a refresher, White crashed the boards after his inbounds go to Marcus Sensible with three seconds left. Sensible’s shot for the win rimmed out, nevertheless, White was proper there to get the tip-in as time expired to provide Boston a 104-103 win in Sport 6 to pressure a Sport 7.

Previous to White’s putback, Jimmy Butler made three free throws to provide the Warmth a 103-102 lead and put the Celtics on absolutely the brink of elimination.

With the Celtics going through elimination in the mean time White went in for the putback, his buzzer-beater was the second of its form in NBA historical past. Whereas it’s the sixth buzzer-beater in NBA historical past for a crew in an elimination sport, it’s simply the second buzzer-beating shot in NBA historical past the place the crew going through elimination trailed previous to the shot, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Data.

The opposite participant to make a buzzer-beating shot below such circumstances was Michael Jordan, who made an off-balance mid-range jumper within the deciding Sport 5 of the Chicago Bulls’ first-round sequence towards the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989.

With White’s shot, the Celtics additionally made historical past. They turned the fourth crew in NBA historical past to pressure a Sport 7 after trailing 3-0 in a sequence. They’re the primary of these such groups to host Sport 7, which can happen on Monday evening.

There have been another statistical rarities from the Celtics’ thrilling Sport 6 win.

Boston, who has been reliant on its 3-point shot falling to assist win video games this season, shot simply 7-for-35 (20 %) from deep on Saturday, which was the Celtics’ fewest made 3-pointers and their worst 3-point proportion in a sport this season. Previous to final evening’s sport, groups that made 20 % or fewer of their 3-point pictures went 14-66 this season, according to ESPN.

Moreover, the Warmth made 14-of-30 (46.7 %) 3-point pictures in Sport 6. Previous to final evening, there have been 23 video games this season the place a crew shot 20 % or worse from deep whereas their opponent shot 40 % or higher from deep. The crew that shot 20 % or worse from deep gained simply a type of 23 video games, according to ESPN.

The Celtics’ potential to interrupt by below uncommon circumstances units up a Sport 7 within the Japanese Convention finals for a second straight season with the Warmth. It’s the primary time that two groups will play one another in a Sport 7 in consecutive seasons since 1994-95 and it’s the sixth time it’s ever occurred, ESPN Stats & Info found.

Originally posted 2023-05-28 16:53:57.