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Get Starting Point<\/span><\/p>\nA guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nEdgecombe poked the ball away from Tatum, forcing him to take an extra step to retrieve it before trying to reset. Now, just 3.5 seconds remained, and the Celtics appeared to be in trouble.<\/span><\/p>\nPritchard was lurking as a safety valve in the right corner, and Tatum fired him the ball. Just 2.3 seconds remained on the shot clock when he caught it.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI was aware [of the clock],\u201d Pritchard said Saturday. \u201cI looked around, I said, \u2018Dang, JT, you threw me a grenade.\u2019 I like grenades though. So, I live for those moments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThe lack of time limited Pritchard\u2019s options, but he was unbothered. The moment he caught the ball he stole a quick look at the shot clock. Then he relied on his internal timer to handle the rest.<\/span><\/p>\nAs the 6-foot-8-inch Kelly Oubre Jr. closed out on him, 6-1 Pritchard juked slightly to his right, just enough to disrupt Oubre\u2019s balance and create the small opening required. Pritchard took one hard dribble to his left, stepped back and poured in the game\u2019s biggest shot.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI think it\u2019s an ability to almost check the clock within a small window of right when I get the ball,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cOr analyzing, knowing, like, when JT was dribbling, I could tell that there was three seconds left, so when he swung it, I knew it\u2019s almost like a clock in my mind of like how much time, if I had one to two dribbles, or something like that.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cSo, in that instance, I knew I only had about one dribble, pump fake, side-step. So it\u2019s the ability to see the clock, and then just have a clock in your mind.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\nWhen the ball slid through the net, the raucous crowd was instantly deflated. Pritchard filled their silence by barking his own expletive-filled celebration to no one in particular.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI knew it was a big shot,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cIt was needed in the moment, but hopefully I can hit more like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nBattling time is nothing new for Pritchard, who has become known for his late-quarter long-range heaves, none bigger than the halfcourt shot he drilled in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Mavericks.<\/span><\/p>\nHis attempts late in the shot clock are generally less dramatic, but they arrive more frequently. During the regular season, Pritchard made 23 above-the-break 3-pointers with four seconds or less remaining on the shot clock, second only to Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve been playing this game for so long,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cI know how quick my moves are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAdam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n