NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 7, 2022

Payton Pritchard

Boston Celtics

Practice Day

Q. What has this experience been like so far?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: It's unbelievable. Obviously, it's a little bit of a circus and stuff like that, but you've got to take it all in. We're playing at the highest stage in basketball, so we all dream about this.

Q. Looking at Game 3, what do you see as needed adjustments? Do you like where you guys are? Where did things kind of fall off in Game 2?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: Sure, I like where we are. Obviously we're going to make certain adjustments, make things a little tougher. But it's all about just getting some stops, making things tough, and then for us it's just having the right spacing and knocking down those open threes and trying to limit our turnovers.

Q. How excited are you for Game 3 at the Garden?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: I'm super excited. It's going to be jumping in here. People are going to be crazy. It's obviously a really late start at 9:00, which is crazy, but it should be electric.

Q. How would you define this team? What is this team in your view?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: Well, I think we've kind of been resilient all year, so every time we're down, backs against the wall, we come through. For us it's just always having that chip on our shoulder, making things tough, and always fighting back.

Q. How do you think that's helped you in moments like this when you have a big Game 3 or bouncing back in other series, being 20 and 21 and having to fight to get where you guys are?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: I just think, like I said, never back down, but we're not shy of the moment. I think everybody is ready for the moment, ready for their opportunity to come and do well with it. Like I said, we're going to be ready for Game 3, make things tough, and hopefully pull out this win.

Q. Obviously the turnovers have been a huge problem for you guys. What can you do in the locker room to just make sure they just don't happen?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: I think it's going through the film and seeing our adjustments, seeing our spacing, and us who are spacing the court need to make their job easier when they drive to make those passes more open, and then obviously them making those passes or making the right rim reads and stuff like that.

I think we'll fix that and we'll be good next game.

Q. Every kid dreams about what it's going to be like to play in the Finals, what it's going to be like to have big moments in the playoffs. You've done both now; how does the reality match the dream?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: It's probably crazier in reality, honestly. It's nothing like you can explain playing, and obviously everybody is watching, and it's the biggest stage in basketball. It's definitely amazing. It's been a good journey to get here.

Q. What's the biggest difference from what you anticipated or expected?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: Biggest difference?

Q. When you watch the games on TV, what's different about being in them?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: The game is the same. Obviously everybody is playing harder when you're fighting for a championship. The difference is like the circus side of it, the media, dealing with all that. It's just a lot crazier.