Derrick White plays hero in Celtics' Game 4 win over Heat: 'Just ...

Derrick White roams around the Auerbach Center with his practice jersey wrapped around his neck like a cape. He’ll talk to the media with it like that, he’ll shoot around like that—it’s just how he rolls.

NBA rules may not allow White to wear it that way in games, but he might as well have been wearing a cape at the Kaseya Center on Monday night. White flew around the court, making big play after big play en route to a 102-88 Boston Celtics victory over the Miami Heat.

“I’m thankful. I’m happy,” White said of what the game meant to him. “I could score zero points, and we win. So, that’s really what’s important.”

But he didn’t score zero points. Instead, White dropped a career-high 38 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. He shot 15/26 from the field and 8/15 from beyond the three-point arc, tallying the most shot attempts on the team by a landslide.

As Boston’s offense stagnated throughout the game, White was the force that pushed it forward. Nobody but White could find a rhythm early on, as he exploded for 16 first-quarter points.

“I think when he was aggressive early in possessions, coming off stops, pushing the pace, he was able to create some cross-matches,” said Joe Mazzulla. “We were able to create some space there.”

A flurry of contested threes got White’s juices flowing, and a slick dime to Jaylen Brown in transition signaled just how comfortable he was. White brought the ball down the floor, and two Miami defenders were locked on him. One quick dish to a streaking Brown led to a monster dunk.

White skipped back down the other end of the floor as the Heat called timeout. He was feeling it, the Celtics were feeling it, and his play was fueling Boston’s surge.

But that wasn’t the culmination of his heroic night.

In the middle of the third quarter, Jrue Holiday found a cutting White in the lane, leading to a ferocious slam.

Less than a minute later, White did it again.

“Jrue, credit to him for finding me slashing and delivering two great passes, and [I] just got to finish them,” White said. “And so that’s kind of what it was, and that was fun.”

White, who has never gotten a technical foul in his career, was visibly frustrated with the officials, as he felt he got hit on the dunks, but all he could do was smile.

And with each jam, Boston’s bench went ballistic.

“I’m just having fun out there, and the bench is going crazy,” White said. “You’re just having fun with your teammates, and they’re going crazy, and you’re just kind of yelling, whatever you’re yelling at the moment.

“I guess that’s what I said, and just having fun competing. Competing at the highest level on the biggest stages, that’s what it’s all about.”

White’s 38 points catapulted the Celtics to their blowout victory in Game 4. His steady hand carried them through their first-half lulls and helped them withstand a fourth-quarter Heat comeback attempt.

On a night when Jayson Tatum and Brown combined for 37 points on 12/32 (37.5%) shooting, White was there to clean things up.

“It’s great,” Tatum said. “It’s just great to be on a team like this that’s just as deep and talented on both ends of the floor that any on any given night can just have a guy like that erupt when it’s the playoffs.”

When White first got to Boston, the team had to lift him up. He wasn’t confident enough to take over to the lengths they wanted him to. The talent was there, he just rarely let it flow. The Celtics begged him to be more aggressive.

Now, with the trust of Mazzulla, the coaching staff, and the team behind him, he’s more assertive than ever.

“It starts with Joe. Ever since he took over, he’s just getting me the most confidence,” White said. “I can talk to him. He can talk to me. That relationship is just getting better and better each day.

“It’s amazing to play for him, and I love it. Honestly, the teammates. We have such great players on this team. They allow me to do what I do and believe in me.”