The Boston Celtics captured the 18th championship in franchise history, and Payton Pritchard put his forever stamp on the series-clinching Game 5 win.
Pritchard entered the contest on Monday, June 17, having connected on a paltry 2-of-15 shots for just 14 total points across the first four games of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Pritchard came off the bench for the first time in Game 5 with just seconds remaining in the first half and the Celtics leading the Mavericks by a score of 64-46. Al Horford grabbed a rebound off of a missed free throw from Luka Doncic and threw an outlet pass to Pritchard, who dribbled the ball hurriedly up the left side of the court. He let a shot fly from the NBA logo several feet behind the half-court line and drained it, which drew explosive celebrations from his teammates and the fans at TD Garden.
“PAYTON PRITCHARD AT THE HALFTIME BUZZER 😱 😱 😱 #NBAFinals,” the official ESPN X account wrote as the caption under a video of the play it shared online.
But ESPN was far from the only entity to express an intense reaction to Pritchard’s shot, which somehow gave the Celtics even more momentum heading into halftime than they already had.
Perhaps the most famous person to react was quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is from Texas and is an outspoken fan of the Mavericks.
Bro, I hate this dude 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂,” Mahomes posted to X.
Fellow NBA Players Attest That Payton Pritchard Is Expert Half-Court Shot Maker
GettyJayson Tatum celebrates with Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics after Pritchard’s half-court shot at the buzzer against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
While Mahomes was hating, most of Pritchard’s NBA peers were loving his moment and attesting that he is dangerous when it comes to long-distance buzzer beaters.
“I called that Payton Pritchard shot 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂,” Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks wrote on X. “He really be making those!”
Another show of love following Young’s praise came from Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
“He really don’t be missing these 😂 🔥,” Morant posted.
Following Morant’s comment, Paulo Banchero of the Orlando Magic took it a step further.
“Pritchard legendary, it’s stamped,” Banchero wrote on X.
History Will Remember Payton Pritchard After Only 1 Minute of Playing Time in Game 5 NBA Finals Win
GettyPayton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics.
Legendary may be going a bit far, but Pritchard will always be a part of Celtics lore due to his buzzer-beating shot.
Even more amazingly, Pritchard logged just 1 minute of official playing time in the Game 5 victory and made the only shot that he took.
And while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and the rest of Boston’s star-studded rotation deserve, and will get, most of the credit for a dominant run through the playoff and the Finals, it was Pritchard who provided perhaps the most memorable moment of an incredibly memorable night for the Celtics.
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