From Holy City to Boston: White s Champions Road, Hidden by Popovich s Gift

On the walls of the Boston Celtic locker room, two photos of the finals, two years apart, hung. As Derek White's fingers streaked over the second group photo of the championship, his eyes stopped on the greeting card sent by Popovich last Christmas - the card was printed with a night view of the San Antonio River bank, and the back scribbled: "Isn't you sent the wrong place this time?"

The picture comes from the Internet

This humorous greeting brings time back to Atlanta on February 11, 2022. In the hotel corridor at 3 a.m., the footsteps of Spurs coach Popovich are almost unheard on the thick carpet. When the 79-year-old man pushed open the disciple's door, White, who was studying the game video, saw a "late night visitor" holding whiskey.

"Hey, we've traded you. " Popovich's opening remark is as simple as his tactical arrangement. While White had not digested this message, the old man deliberately paused for five seconds, the smell of whiskey oak and the glimmer of the TV screen floated in the air. This suspenseful statement perfectly replicates the cold humor unique to Popovich's coaching career.

The picture comes from the Internet

"Where go? " When White's question blurted out, the defender who had been polishing in the Spurs system for five years flashed back in his mind were the transition of the Development League during the rookie era, the nervousness of the first starter, and Duncan's head-touching kill in the locker room. "Don't worry, we didn't cheat you, we sent it to Boston. " Popovich's addition gave this late-night conversation a warm footnote. In a later interview, the old man admitted that the answer was a carefully designed line: "I want Derek to know that this is not exile but inheritance. "

The dramatic scene when the transaction occurred was retold by the parties in a relaxed tone two years later, and it was still filled with the cruel poetry of professional sports. When the Spurs sent the 28-year-old defender to Boston for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and two first-round picks, the ESPN commentator sounded a cold statement "rebuild the team to clean up assets." But in the morning light on the Charles River, the book "The Centennial History of Boston Basketball" in White's suitcase revealed the longing buried in the University of Colorado graduate. The pain during the adaptation period was shorter than expected. When White accurately called out the tactical synonym for each teammate in his first Celtic training, young coach Mazula realized that this "Spurs made" defender had long engraved the Celtic system instructions into his muscle memory. "He is like a USB flash drive with its own decoder, and can run by plugging into the Boston tactical board." The team's video analyst described it.

The picture is from the Internet

This evaluation was cruelly verified in the 2022 finals. When the Warriors' defensive wave shattered the Celtics' offense for the third time, White's 42.9% three-point shooting percentage became the night light. Despite eventually missing the champion, his G4 final moments blocking Curry’s shot is etched on the glory wall of North Shore Garden. On the championship night two years later, White told the story of this past with champagne: "That cover made me convinced that Bobo sent me here not just to be a bystander. "

Under the spotlight of the 2024 Finals, White embroidered silver and black lines on the 18th Celtics' 18th championship flag with averaging 14.3 points and 4.2 assists. As he scored a three-pointer in the win in G6, a neat "Thanks Popo" shout rang out in San Antonio's bar. This moment perfectly interprets the deep logic of NBA players' transfer - the Spurs' tactical genes have blossomed a new championship flower in Boston soil.

Looking back at that late-night conversation, White smiled and analyzed in the podcast: "Bobo knows how to make parting like a graduation ceremony. " When asked if he would choose a deal if he started again, he turned the championship ring and replied: "Some roads are about to reach the end before they know that there are gifts hidden at the starting point." This sentence may be the most poetic annotation to the giant talent exchange market in the NBA.