Payton Pritchard has struck again! The 26-year-old set the TD Garden ablaze with a shocking buzzer-beater in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The crowd burst into a roar to celebrate the thrilling moment as the Boston Celtics went up 67-46 at halftime. However, he didn’t just catch the attention of the Garden but of millions of NBA fans online. One such was the NFL superstar, Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes has been a die-hard Dallas Mavericks fan his whole life and to no surprise, was rooting for Luka Doncic & co in the NBA Finals this year. Much to his disappointment, the Celtics dominated the series, taking a comfortable 3-1 lead. Pritchard’s second buzzer-beater in the series may have put the final nail in the coffin. The Kansas City Chiefs star was clearly not too happy with this. He joined Ja Morant, Paige Bueckers, Paul Pierce, Paolo Banchero, and several other basketball stars to express his opinion on the insane moment.

“Bro i hate this dude” wrote Mahomes on X. While Mahomes laughed off his misery, Celtics legend Paul Pierce, Paige Bueckers and others sang praises for the 26-year-old.

Ja Morant also joined the bandwagon. He wrote, “he really don’t be missing these 😂🔥”.

UConn star, Paige Bueckers also reacted to Pritchard’s heroics, saying “Buzzer beating shots are really Pritchard’s specialty that’s crazy”.

Paolo Banchero and Paul Pierce joined the bandwagon too, with the Orlando Magic star saying “pritchard legendary it’s stamped”. The Celtics were able to secure a comfortable lead at halftime with Pritchard’s impressive half court shot. Furthermore, Jayson Tatum & Co led throughout the second half on their way to their 18th banner. Pritchard played a significant role in their championship run as well, delivering an impressive playoff performance.

Payton Pritchard stats (playoffs)

Although widely popular for his buzzer beaters, Payton Pritchard did not just limit his game to these thrilling moments. Throughout the playoffs, the Celtics star contributed significantly to the team’s efforts, providing a spark off the bench. The 26-year-old averaged a healthy 6.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 2.2 APG. He averaged 19.7 MPG in this 18-game stretch. Most impressively, Pritchard has an NBA playoff record for buzzer beaters.

Pritchard made 13-36 (36.1%) of his late-clock shots (3 seconds or less remaining in quarter, per PBP stats) in the regular season. During the postseason, he went 2-6 (33.3%), averaging a distance of 38.3 feet in his postseason attempts. He also became the only NBA player ever to hit 2 buzzer beaters in the NBA Finals. Pritchard toppled Jordan Poole and Mario Chalmers to this feat. Can Pritchard become one of Celtics’ key role players in the coming years? Only time can tell us. But for now, check out what Leonardo Armato had to say about the Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese debate.