Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla turned some heads in surprise in the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA’s 2023 Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday by playing seldom-used reserve point guard Payton Pritchard.
After practice on Thursday, Mazzulla shared why he went with the Oregon native in the high-leverage contest via CLNS Media. “I like his aggressiveness, I like his ability to change the momentum and energy of the game,” explained the Celtics coach of a player who took and missed two shots to go scoreless with a single assist and a -3 plus/minus while on the floor.
