For the first time since Chauncey Billups helped the Detroit Pistons win a ring in 2004, a former Colorado men’s basketball player is headed to the NBA Finals. Derrick White, who was traded midseason from San Antonio to Boston, will represent the Buffs on basketball’s biggest stage.
Here’s what White, a former Division 2 player at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, had to say about reaching the finals (h/t 104.3 The Fan):
“It’s pretty crazy. It’s something that you dream about as a kid, watch growing up, and kind of look back on it. Going to try to think about it, but right now, I’m just trying to stay in the moment. Try to enjoy as much as I can, but understand that once the ball goes up, it’s really just basketball, and we got to get we got to find a way to get four wins.”
In the Eastern Conference Finals, White scored 14 points in Game 5 to help the Celtics eventually move past the Miami Heat. But things will only get more difficult for White and Boston’s backcourt with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole waiting for the Golden State Warriors.
So, who will White match up against? According to Trevor Haas of Celtics Blog, a White-Poole showdown is worth keeping an eye on:
Derrick White and Jordan Poole are going to have some entertaining battles. People are talking a lot about Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, for good reason, but they seem to forget that the Warriors are basically the Splash Triplets now. Poole is electric with the ball, and if White is the one on him at times, winning that matchup is critical. He doesn’t need to limit Poole entirely, but he can’t let him get hot. When Poole is on fire, the Warriors often are as well. On offense, White needs to continue to penetrate and look for those in-between shots. He doesn’t need to force 3’s and doesn’t need to stop shooting them altogether. Just make the right play, like he has been the majority of the time.
Another potential matchup for White is with Curry. Jake Shapiro of 104.3 The Fan wrote on Wednesday that White will likely guard the future hall of famer.
As for Thompson, I would say that considering his height and playstyle, White probably won’t be facing up against him.
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