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NBA FINALS

Payton Pritchard beats the buzzer again, making longest shot in the NBA Finals in more than 25 years

By Khari Thompson Boston.com Staff,Updated June 18, 2024, 12:49 a.m.
The bench surrounded an ecstatic Payton Pritchard after he drained a 43-foot buzzer-beater to send the Celtics into halftime with a 21-point lead.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Payton Pritchard put a hand up and called for the ball once he saw Al Horford grab the rebound with two seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Horford wheeled around to deliver the pass. Pritchard caught it, took a dribble, and launched a 43-foot heave from beyond the halfcourt line. It was a high arcing shot that dropped through the net and gave the Celtics a 21-point halftime lead.

It was also Pritchard’s only shot attempt of the Celtics’ 106-88 title-clinching victory. And, according to the ABC broadcast, it was the longest shot in a Finals game in the last 25 years

Horford exhaled and said “whew” while remembering the shot at his postgame news conference.

“It was beautiful. He did that and you just kind of take a glance at the other team and it’s one of those that just kind of breaks your spirit.,” Horford said. “And then, it just kind of fueled us.

“Payton man, that just sums it up,” Horford continued. “There were ups and downs for him, not knowing what to expect. When to play and when not to play. He is the kind of guy that is a big time player and it’s hard because we’ve got a lot of guys.

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“But him stepping up, cold, ready, not afraid of the moment, taking the shot and man as soon as he shot it — I don’t know how you guys felt but I was like ‘man he’s about to knock it down, this is crazy.’ The fact that he knocked it down, that was huge, that was special.”

Pritchard also hit a 34-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter in Game 2.

The Celtics trust him to take these kinds of shots. These are the kind of moments he embraces. As unlikely as it was, he found a way to top the heave he hit in the series opener.

And once again, his half-court heave was good.

Khari Thompson can be reached at khari.thompson@globe.com.

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