The Payton Pritchard reason Kenny Atkinson strayed from philosophy vs. Celtics
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Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard was once an afterthought on the Green Team’s bench. He now commands the attention of opposing teams across the NBA, including the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although Cleveland held a four-point lead with 22 seconds to go in a Sunday night showdown with Boston, Pritchard rattled in a 3-pointer to make it a game again with 18 ticks remaining in the fourth quarter. That triple accounted for just three of his 17 points in the final 12 minutes of the battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
BIG TIME HIT pic.twitter.com/w2iqTAe9Tk
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 2, 2024
Following that clutch shot, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson refused to let Pritchard beat his squad. The Celtics failed to attempt a field goal during their next three offensive possessions because the Cavs kept preemptively fouling and putting them on the line. This was an anticlimactic strategy that Atkinson once disavowed, however, it was effective down the stretch, per Evan Dammarell of ClutchPoints.
“I said, 'Screw that. We're fouling,'” Atkinson recalled. “‘I do not want to see Payton Pritchard hit another step-back three.'”
Boston returned the favor by repeatedly fouling Cleveland in hopes of a timely miss, yet the Cavs converted on all eight of their attempts from the charity stripe in the last 18 seconds.
Pritchard tried to break the stalemate when he intentionally missed a free throw with five seconds left. It might’ve worked too, but the backup guard went for the rebound too early and was whistled for a lane violation. The Cavs held on for the 115-111 win and snapped the Celtics’ seven-game winning streak in the process.
Payton Pritchard had the perfect on purpose missed free throw.
But the refs said he entered the lane early.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) December 2, 2024
How have Kenny Atkinson’s Cavs and Payton Pritchard’s Celtics fared this season?
Despite the road loss, Pritchard finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes of play. On Friday during a 138-129 victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Oregon native notched a season-high 29 points, with 19 points coming in the fourth quarter alone. Atkinson clearly monitored that output, as he opted to continuously foul rather than risk the chance of another late-game barrage from Pritchard.
His fouling philosophy helped the Cavs remain atop the Eastern Conference and improve to an impressive 18-3. Earlier this season, Atkinson became the first coach in NBA history to start 15-0 with a new team. This year marks his first with the Cavs, who fired former skipper J.B. Bickerstaff shortly after the Celtics eliminated them in five games in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In the regular season, the Celtics and Cavs have had their last eight meetings decided by seven points or less. The latest tight contest dropped the reigning champion C’s to 16-4 overall and 1-1 against the Cavs during the 2024-25 campaign.
UNDEFEATED NO MORE
The Celtics put an end to the Cavs 15-0 start by handing them their first loss of the season
Cleveland's 15 straight wins was tied for the second-longest win streak to start a season in NBA history! pic.twitter.com/pMtQWLKay8
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 20, 2024
Boston prevailed 120-117 in November and ended Cleveland’s historic 15-game winning streak. The C’s weren’t as healthy in their second encounter with the Cavs since starters Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were both sidelined ahead of a difficult homestand that features four games in six days. They should return to action on Monday night against the rival Miami Heat, who the Celtics also bounced from the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Cleveland’s upcoming schedule isn’t quite as grueling. The Cavs will play four games in seven days and two of those outings are with Eastern Conference bottom-feeders such as the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets. The next time they face the Celtics will be on Tuesday, February 4th—and then again on Friday, February 28th.
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