Forsberg: Bloody Derrick White a symbol of C's gritty first half

A weathered Derrick White leaned back on the Boston bench and shook his head.

“One more game,” he told a member of the Celtics training staff before flashing a wide smile that revealed a busted lip and blood-stained teeth.

White, who 12 hours earlier woke up in Milwaukee where a specialist would diagnose him with a ruptured eardrum, cackled with laughter after his declaration.

“One more game.” — Bloody lip and ruptured eardrum Derrick White. pic.twitter.com/Dr6A68TzO4

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) February 16, 2023

Nothing could sum up Boston at the All-Star break better. Battered, bruised, and bloody, the Celtics skidded sideways into their midseason pause with more than half their roster — and all five starters — appearing on the injury report over the last 48 hours.

It has been White, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, who has been the duct tape holding this Celtics minivan together. Even as his own body falls apart. 

White is the only player to appear in every game for the Celtics this season, culminating with Wednesday's midday dash from the Midwest to make it in time for tip against the Pistons. There are simply no breaks for Everyday Derrick.

No amount of missing bodies has been able to truly slow these Celtics. They took the Milwaukee Bucks to overtime on Tuesday night despite missing four starters, and with Robert Williams III playing only limited minutes. Just about every night it feels like the Celtics are missing at least one member of their starting five.

In fact, Wednesday was the 16th time this season that Boston operated without two members of their preferred starting group (Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Williams III). In total, the Celtics have been without at least one starter in 47 of their 59 games this season.

Unfazed, Boston carries the best record in basketball into the break. At 42-17, they’ll own at least a half-game lead over the rival Bucks until play resumes next Thursday night.

Celtics Talk POSTGAME POD: Tatum's 24-point third quarter, Smart's return fuel win over Pistons | Listen & Subscribe

White has been a huge part of it all. Despite the red on his teeth in that mid-game moment, he bleeds green. Whenever a starter has been missing, interim coach Joe Mazzulla has thrown White into the first five. He has started 51 games this season, which is second only to Tatum (55). He entered Wednesday’s game with a net rating of plus-9.9 -- the best among any regular (and just a dash ahead of All-Star Tatum).

After holding down the fort with Boston operating shorthanded in recent games, White happily passed the baton on Wednesday. Tatum, looking refreshed after a one-game break, poured in 38 points highlighted by the biggest quarter output of his entire career in the third frame.

Marcus Smart returned after an 11-game absence and went right back to being a two-way menace. Offseason addition Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting off the Boston bench.

The Garden saved one of its biggest roars Wednesday for when Blake Griffin hurtled himself into the Detroit bench trying to save a loose ball. All while a smiling Smart implored the crowd to get loud in the aftermath.

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That’s the 2022-23 Celtics. Guys willing to give up their bodies for the good of the team. Tatum, Brown, and the Boston coaching staff will trek to Utah for All-Star festivities but the Celtics, as a whole, will get some much-needed downtime over the next week.

The big question is what’s possible whenever this team is at full health, which could occur after the break. Boston’s preferred starting five has played only 29 total minutes over six appearances together. That five has started just one game together (a win over Golden State on January 19).

It will be a 23-game sprint to the finish line of the regular season. Boston is set to jockey with the Bucks for the top spot in the East, which could come down to a showdown in Milwaukee on March 30.

Let White be the poster child that suggests the Celtics are willing to do whatever is required to get this team back to a championship stage. It hasn’t always been easy and their bodies have paid the price, but the bottom line is that Boston has showcased its depth while building the best record in basketball.

And White’s bloodied mug showed they are ready to keep enduring those bumps and bruises to get where they want to go.