DALLAS — While there were plenty of headlines from the Celtics’ Game 2 win over the Mavericks, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla wanted to make sure Payton Pritchard’s impact didn’t go unnoticed. The reserve guard hit a momentum-changing, buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that ended up being massive for the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown even went as far as to joke that Pritchard checked himself into the game for that shot. Pritchard described what happened with 3.3 seconds left in the third quarter that allowed him to bank in that heave.
“I didn’t go straight to the scorer’s table,” Pritchard said. “But I did get Joe’s attention or Charles (Lee’s) attention, too, and then they told me get in. I guess you could kind of say I did.”
BetMGM BET UP TO $1,500! BONUS BET REFUND AFTER A LOSS
STATES: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org. US Promotional Offers not available in New York.
Pritchard got plenty of credit for his shot as that was his first bucket in the NBA Finals. Up to that point, Pritchard was 0-for-8 overall from the field, including 0-for-6 on 3-pointers. But Pritchard has embraced that role of putting up improbable heaves in end-of-quarter scenarios. He also hit a massive 3-point heave against the Cavaliers in the second round in a similar situation.
Pritchard’s 3-pointer at the end of the third was also important for several reasons. The C’s had held a 13-point lead, but the Mavs went on a 7-0 run to cut it to a six-point game. They also got the first possession to start the fourth quarter. So Pritchard stunted any momentum the Mavs had brewing as the Celtics were able to to close out the victory to take the 2-0 series lead.
So it was only natural for Pritchard to draw all that praise after his game-changing shot. Pritchard has been unafraid to put up heaves, even in the regular season. Plenty of players don’t want to hurt their percentages, so they’ll opt out of taking the low-percentage shot. Pritchard has been the opposite case, where he’s put up heaves even if there’s less than one second left on the clock. He was rewarded for those efforts in Game 2, and the C’s hope he can build off that shot going forward.
“I think I’ve earned that right a little bit to show that I’m able to take those shots, even if they were very difficult,” Pritchard said. “I don’t care about my shooting percentage as far as that. I could have been 0-for-9 if I missed that. But that could have been the difference, and who knows from here on out. Maybe that helps me jump start to make the next couple.”
