Pritchard beats Heat
C’s win 3rd straight on putback with 0.2 left
In a demonstration of unity, Celtics and Miami players left the American Airlines Arena floor together during warmups, agreed to release a joint statement on the day’s events in Washington, D.C., and knelt in unison during the national anthem.
In the spirit of the civic action discussed and put into action during the days of the Orlando bubble, last night’s joint action was designed to remind everyone that basketball is secondary in today’s world.
Brad Stevens admitted that after hearing his players debate whether to play or not, he had the impression roughly 30 minutes before game-time that they would all head back to the hotel. And whatever their choice, the decision would have his wholehearted support.
“I told them very clearly that I support whatever they choose,” said the Celtics coach. “I’ve said many times in these situations that everyone has a voice and expresses it a little bit differently. So it’s important in this small area — enclosed room — to feel comfortable to share, whether we were in there or after we left so the team could come to a decision. Just left it at that. If our guys chose not to play tonight, they had the full support of myself, my staff and our organization.”
Just as the bubble teams decided, after much internal debate, to finish the season in Orlando, the Celtics and Heat players decided that last night was necessary enough to finish.
It marked a bittersweet reunion for the Celtics, considering how decisively they were sent home from the bubble by Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Though Miami has struggled this season, the Heat gave the Celtics everything they could handle before the C’s pulled out their third straight win, 107-105.
Payton Pritchard, who has achieved folk hero status, won the game when, with 0.2 seconds left, the rookie guard slipped in to rebound and convert a Marcus Smart miss.
It was another high energy play by Pritchard on a highenergy, playoff-like finish between these two conference rivals.
And yet, Stevens’ thoughts went back again to that pregame locker room.
“I think the things that you remember about coaching are not the game, right?” he said.
“It’s that locker room 68 minutes before, whenever we all congregated, I think that’s what I’ll remember most fondly when I’m done, are those moments. Just the sharing of real thoughts and emotions.
“And then to be able to compartmentalize and play a game, I thought that our guys started great, gave good effort, waned a little bit,” he said. “More guys asking to come out than usual after long stints and I don’t know if that was a function of just playing hard early or being tired from the trip, or whatever the case may be. But they did a good job of going out there and playing under the circumstances. I don’t know how they do it. And I’ve said this forever in the NBA, like, you’re in the end of these road trips or back to backs. So I don’t know how they do it. But these guys have an unbelievable ability to go out and play at an incredible level. It’s, remarkable. Both teams.”
As evidenced by the ability of Jayson Tatum (27 points, four assists, five rebounds, five 3-pointers) and Jaylen Brown (21 points, five assists, 12 rebounds) to combine for another dramatic finish, the Celtics had plenty left for the last six minutes.
Miami took a 93-90 lead with 6:25 left on two Jimmy Butler free throws, and though the Celtics came up empty twice, including a Marcus Smart airball, Daniel Theis finally dunked on the end of a three-shot possession that cut the Miami lead to a point (93-92).
Butler went to the line again with 4:35 left and hit twice for a three-point Miami edge, and with 4:05 left Brown tied the game (95-95) with a 3-pointer.
Theis hit from the lane with 3:09 left for the lead. Andre Iguodala came out of a timeout with a downtown airball and Tatum, isolated against Adebayo, buried a huge 3-pointer over the Miami center.
Tyler Herro missed, and this time Brown hit from the left corner for a 103-95 lead. The next time down Brown missed from the same spot, but Grant Williams grabbed the rebound, and when he missed at the rim, Theis converted for a 105-95 lead with 1:17 left.
But Duncan Robinson hit from downtown, and the next time down was fouled by Tatum while hitting another bomb from the right corner. He converted the four-point play, cutting the Celtics lead to 105-102.
The Celtics called timeout with 30.6 seconds left, including 15 on the shot clock, Theis missed under Adebayo’s pressure, and Robinson, with his second attempt in a twoshot possession, tied the game.
But when Smart missed, Pritchard snuck in to convert the rebound with 0.2 seconds left.