Payton Pritchard’s amazing shot in the NBA Finals sometimes seems like a dream.
However, the Boston Celtics guard said he’s constantly reminded of his half-court buzzer-beater by fans who send him text messages containing video of the shot. The former Oregon Ducks and West Linn High School star drained a 3-point shot from behind the half-court line with four seconds remaining in the second quarter of Game 5.
The Celtics fans in TD Garden erupted in a frenzy and Pritchard was mobbed by his teammates. The shot energized the entire building, stretched the Celtics’ lead to 21 points, deflated the Dallas Mavericks and they went on to win the NBA championship.
The shot instantly catapulted Pritchard into a Celtics’ legend, which is saying something considering the rich history of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.
“Obviously, I acknowledge it. It’s a great shot, something I’ll look at and have forever,” Pritchard told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “But it’s just the timing of it, the ability to step up and hit that shot, I live for moments like that. Probably 20 years from now I’ll be like, ‘Oh, wow.’”
Pritchard’s shot was the second time he had made a long buzzer-beater during the series. He made a 3-pointer from the logo as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter during Boston’s 105-98 win in Game 2. Pritchard also made a 28-foot 3-point shot as the horn sounded to end the third quarter during the Celtics’ 120-95 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.
Knowing Pritchard’s history of making those type of shots, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla inserted him into Game 5 specifically to take the shot.
“He just knows I’m capable of hitting those kinds of shots,” Pritchard told the Globe.
Pritchard continues to bask in the glow of the Celtics’ 18th NBA title, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most championships in NBA history. But the fourth-year guard isn’t resting on the past. Pritchard, a member of the USA Select Team, just finished scrimmaging and practicing against USA Basketball’s Olympic team that will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris later this month.
The experience of going against elite-level players such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and teammate Jayson Tatum was a huge learning opportunity for Pritchard.
“I’m watching everybody,” Pritchard said. “I’m seeing what they’re all doing, their routines and everything, and I’m just going from there. Coming out here and competing and seeing where your game is at is a great experience.”
Pritchard, who was reportedly on the trading block before he signed a four-year, $30 million contract extension last summer, hopes the Celtics can become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-18.
“Hopefully, we can win it again. We haven’t really talked about it yet, but that doesn’t need to be talked about. It’s already what we want,” Pritchard told The Globe. “We’ve got to have an appreciation for what we just did and understand it’s really hard, and look at it like we accomplished something great. But then we’ve got to do it again.”