Once Steph gets hot, there is nothing the opponents can do about it, and White knows it.
One thing that was the same in the 2022 and 2024 NBA Finals was the presence of the Boston Celtics. Although the outcome was vastly different for the Celtics squad, competing against the league’s best guards on the biggest stage was just as challenging. One of the players from the green-and-white franchise who can best speak to the challenges he faced—and the difference in guarding Stephen Curry in ’22 versus Luka Doncic in '24—is Derrick White.
The pesky guard has made his bread and butter on the defensive end, making life tough for opposing ball handlers and top scorers, and he recently delved into the difference in guarding the two superstars.
“I mean Steph, obviously, Steph went crazy against us. We were a different team, but he just imposes his will and we really didn’t have an answer for that. Whereas, like if Luka or Kyrie went on a run or hit a tough shot, we just kind of got it out and we moved on, we didn’t let it snowball as much as in ‘22,” the Celtics guard explained.
“Obviously Kyrie and Luka were tough to guard, just 48 minutes of locked in on the game plan, locked in in what we’re trying to take away," he added.
Steph was red hot
The 2022 NBA Finals featured the experienced Golden State Warriors, led by the greatest shooter of all time, against the C’s. Although the Dubs were past their prime, they still had the championship DNA that had defined them for years. In six games, they defeated the up-and-coming Boston squad, who were still "too green" to take it all that year.
Steph did what Steph does, averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, convincingly taking home the Finals MVP trophy—a piece of silverware that had been missing from his impressive collection. Once he got hot, there was no stopping "Chef," and White can attest to that.
The C’s were a more experienced squad this time around
Two years later, the Celtics found themselves once again on familiar ground, where the lights shine the brightest. But this time, their opponents were the Dallas Mavericks, led by Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Although Kyrie had a championship pedigree, the rest of the team was overwhelmed by the experience. White and the rest of the Celtics held the upper hand throughout the series, dropping only one game to the Mavs.
Unlike with "Chef Curry," guarding "Luka Magic" was easier, Derrick says. It was a complete team effort. They didn’t allow Luka to take over the game, limiting his impact and thereby “cutting off the head” of the Mavericks, who didn’t have enough firepower to fight back against a superior opponent.
While both guards are special in their own way and can take over the game in an instant, it was the experience and being locked in that brought the 18th title to Beantown.
