(Video) Doc Rivers left ‘SICK’ on court after Payton Pritchard’s game-changing shooting

Doc Rivers knew that Payton Pritchard's three-pointer at the end of the third quarter tilted the game into the hands of the Boston Celtics.

(Video) Doc Rivers left ‘SICK’ on court after Payton Pritchard’s game-changing shooting

Payton Pritchard's 3rd quarter ending three-pointer had Doc Rivers shocked

For Doc Rivers, this is the first season where he had the chance to instill all of his experience into molding the Milwaukee Bucks. Although it showed flashes of brilliance in the first game, the team has lost three in a row. Most recently, to a Boston Celtics team whose highlight play was from one Payton Pritchard.

The game was evenly matched for much of the 48 minutes. Particularly, up until two minutes left in the third quarter when the Bucks led by one. But then, the defending champions started a rally that saw the likes of Derrick White shoot triples to help the team lead by five.

YouTube video

The Bucks tried to stem the rally, but their attempts were thwarted by the Celtics who put on an elite defensive clinic. With their opponents unable to convert shots, the champions grabbed rebounds and tried to extend the lead. Even with five seconds left they did not want to stop.

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Jayson Tatum passed the ball to Pritchard, who knew he had only five seconds to attempt another shot. He dribbled the length of the court, zipping past two Bucks defenders, and launched just before the arc to down another three-pointer.

That shot increased the lead to eight points. But crucially, with the home fans cheering on, the momentum switched to the Boston Celtics. From that point onwards, the Milwaukee Bucks tried and could not cut the deficit.

It seems from the clipping that Rivers knew all too well that the Pritchard shot could swing the game. Which is why, he was seen with his head hanging and body bent over as soon as the shot went up. He knew that that shot changed the game.

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Doc Rivers knew Payton Pritchard’s shot would swing the game

A good coach who knows the game will know what the result will be if a team plays a certain way. A brilliant coach will know just by looking at the body language of both teams and how the momentum is changing.

Doc Rivers, with his plethora of experience, knew how it was going to turn out. Especially after he watched Payton Pritchard sink that three. He explained to the reporters after the game that he knew beforehand which players on the opposition could turn the game away from his team.

Payton Pritchard happened…. This morning, I literally circled his name. It’s like, this guy comes in and he’s a game changer… He got their three-ball going… I thought that changed the game.

Doc Rivers said

The 63-year-old coach mentioned that last season his team went through the same ordeal. The 6′ 1″ guard changed the game then and he changed the game during the NBA Finals too. On Monday night, he was the spark that helped the Boston Celtics win the game.

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Rivers was otherwise pleased with the way his team played. They stifled the starters from scoring many threes. But the former Oregon star balling out altered the course of the game. If the Milwaukee Bucks stopped him from scoring, the result would have been different.