Boston Celtics: 3 keys beating the Miami Heat in Game 5

The Boston Celtics need Derrick White to contribute

We as Celtics fans do not know if Marcus Smart will play tonight. He is still dealing with a bad ankle sprain that he suffered on Saturday night in Game 3. If he cannot play again, it will be Derrick White taking his spot in the starting lineup.

Yes, the same Derrick White that Brad Stevens sent a sizeable package to the San Antonio Spurs for at the trade deadline. There’s no other clear cut way to say this; White needs to be productive in this game for the Celtics to win it, even if Smart ends up playing

I’m not talking about shooting 1/8 from 3-point range again either. I’m talking about keeping up the aggressive play that White has exhibited and bring it to Miami.

We’ve seen what Derrick White can do when he is aggressive. He scored the Celtics first seven points in Monday night’s victory. With Smart still unknown, it’s up to White to continue to bring the aggressiveness on offense and play tough defense as well. If White continues to struggle, then it’s going to be very tough for the Celtics to win this game.

Look for Derrick White to attack the basket tonight. Hopefully he’s found his 3-point stroke and can keep playing good defense on Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, or whoever his matchup is tonight too.