NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. MAVERICKS

June 11, 2024

Payton Pritchard

Boston Celtics

Practice Day

Q. You're up 2-0, good or bad?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: I think that's very good. It's how we come out for Game 3. Got to be the more desperate team. I think if we take care of business and really come out with a purpose, we'll be all right.

Q. The home crowd is going to be loud.

PAYTON PRITCHARD: For sure. We're looking forward to it. We like playing on the road. It'll be a good environment to play in.

Q. You're looking forward to it?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: Definitely.

Q. Did you sub yourself in the other night?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: Well, I didn't go straight to the scorer's table, but I did get Joe's attention or Charles' attention, too, and then they told me get in. I guess you could kind of say I did.

Q. You want that shot, right? You know in those moments?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: For sure. I think I’ve earned that right a little bit to show that I'm able to take those shots, even if they were very difficult. I don't care about my shooting percentage as far as that. I could have been 0 for 9 if I missed that. But that could have been the difference, and who knows from here on out. Maybe that helps me jump start to make the next couple.

Q. There's no way to practice that, right?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: I don't practice them, but I just look at them, and I don't know, I probably zone in more on them. Just like clock is winding down, and you've got nothing to lose.

Q. That's a great shot to make in any game, but what's it like to make that shot in an NBA Finals game when it was pretty tight?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: It's special for sure, just the energy the crowd had got us jump started us to start the fourth well. Built momentum. Yeah, those are moments you live for on this type of stage, so that was big time.

Q. You seemed pretty fired up afterward.

PAYTON PRITCHARD: I probably blacked out a little bit, but like I said, it's just moments that you dream of, of hitting shots like that with the clock winding down. Hopefully I can continue to do it.

Q. Sam mentioned that you guys watch House of Dragon and Yellowstone. Are those the two main shows that guys watch?

PAYTON PRITCHARD: Al is in the middle of watching Game of Thrones right now, so a lot of us have seen that. I just re-watched Yellowstone with my fiance and my brother for the third time, so I went through and watched that, also. I love that show.