It was close but no cigar for the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
No cigar in a figurative sense, as they squandered a 2-1 series lead against the Warriors and watched their title hopes slip away. No cigar in a literal sense, in that they didn’t have a chance to light up the cigars Jaylen Brown gave the team to ignite the run.
After the heartbreaking loss, Celtics guard Derrick White gathered those cigars and held onto them for safekeeping for two years.
“I kept it in my locker from that moment,” White said on the White Noise Podcast.