Brown has a great reaction to Pritchard’s buzzer-beater after the title win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Boston Celtics fans will remember for the rest of their lives when their team won the 2024 NBA Finals. And if you’re looking for individual moments from the Celtics’ five-game loss to the Dallas Mavericks that stand above the rest, Payton Pritchard’s buzzer-beater in Game 5 probably tops the list.
Pritchard had a rough series overall, shooting just 25 percent from the field through five games. But two of the baskets he made were quite important. The first came late in the third quarter in Game 2, when the Mavericks had cut the Celtics’ lead to six as the final seconds drew to a close. Pritchard fired a shot from close to the logo and cleared it, bringing Boston’s lead back to nine. The C’s ultimately won 105-98.
He did almost exactly the same thing Monday night in Game 5. After Luka Doncic missed a free throw, Pritchard got the ball, ran to the halfcourt and launched a deep 3-pointer that went straight through the basket, pushing the Celtics’ lead to 21 brought. during halftime.
The Garden erupted, and so did the Celtics players, including Jayson Tatum, who ran over to chest bump Pritchard.
After the Celtics posted a 106–88 win and clinched the franchise’s 18th championship, series MVP Jaylen Brown had high praise for Pritchard during his post-game press conference.
“We had an excellent game plan in the final, and then all the guys contributed,” Brown told reporters. “Like Payton Pritchard, for example, like unreal, right. Unreal. Like it just comes into play and clears one from half court. That guy, he’s a fucking legend, man. Shout out to Payton Pritchard.” “
Celtics center Al Horford also gave Pritchard a shoutout.
“Man, that was beautiful. That was beautiful,” Horford told reporters during his post-game press conference. “He did that, and if you take a look at the other team, it’s one of those team that breaks your spirit, and then it gave us a little fuel. But Payton, man, that just sums it up. It was ups and downs.” for him, because he doesn’t know what to expect, when to play and when not to play. He’s the kind of guy, he’s a big player and it’s hard because we have a lot of guys.”
“But man, he stepped up, cold, ready, not afraid of the moment, took the shot; and man, as soon as he shot, like I don’t know how y’all saw it, but I thought, man, he’s about to take it to take it down, like this is crazy. So man, the fact that he took it down like that was huge.
