The Boston Celtics‘ season did not end on one possession, but one possession will follow them into the offseason. With 2:30 remaining in Game 7 and Boston trailing the Philadelphia 76ers by one, Jaylen Brown had the ball, the floor opening in front of him, and a chance to put the Celtics ahead. Neemias Queta flashed toward the rim. Payton Pritchard waited on the perimeter. Joel Embiid was still chasing the play.
Brown had to choose in real time.
He chose Pritchard. The shot missed, the Celtics went cold, and ultimately fell short as the season ended.
Brown Addresses Pivotal Game 7 Play
The moment did not sit quietly. Fans pointed to Queta’s open lane as the obvious play. Brown addressed it directly on his Twitch stream the following day.
He acknowledged seeing Queta breaking free. But there was something else in his sightline at the same moment.
Embiid was tracking back from behind. Brown weighed the open layup against the possibility of the 76ers center arriving in time to alter or block the attempt at the rim. He made his read in real time and chose Pritchard instead.
“I’m doing that 100 times out of 100,” Brown said of the decision to find Pritchard. “All season long, Pritchard has been that for us and he still is that for us.”
“I’m doing that 100 times out of 100….”
Why Brown Trusted Pritchard
Brown’s trust was not blind. It was built over time.
Pritchard shot 37.7 percent from three during the regular season and had been one of Boston’s most reliable weapons all year. Earlier in this very series, he had delivered the biggest scoring night of his playoff career, going 6 for 12 from deep and finishing with 32 points in Game 3.
“On time on target, to one of the best shooters in the league,” Brown said.
The shot did not fall. Pritchard acknowledged afterward that the Celtics had good looks down the stretch and simply did not convert. That is the brutal nature of playoff basketball. Make the shot and nobody questions the decision. Miss it and the possession gets dissected for weeks.
Brown understood that reality. He made the pass he believed gave Boston the best chance to score. On another night, in another moment, Pritchard makes that shot and the conversation never happens.
GettyPayton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Embiid Changed the Series
Brown’s decision also existed inside the larger truth of the series.
Boston did not lose because of one pass. The series changed when Embiid returned, and Brown was willing to acknowledge that. Philadelphia won three straight elimination games with Embiid back in the middle of everything, and the Celtics never fully solved the pressure he put on the floor.
Brown was not choosing between an uncontested layup and a random kickout. He was reading Queta’s cut, Embiid’s recovery, and Pritchard’s shooting gravity all at once.
The miss became the screenshot. The read was more complicated than that.
Even if that possession ends differently, Boston’s larger problem was still the same. Embiid had changed the series, and the Celtics never fully found a counter.
GettyJoel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Celtics
Brown will carry that possession into the offseason. Every player in that situation does.
But the decision was not a mistake born from panic or poor judgment. It was a read made in real time, with a defender closing from behind, by a player who had spent an entire season learning to trust the teammate in the corner.
Pritchard had been that player for Boston all year. Brown believed in that on the biggest possession of the season.
The shot did not go in. The belief was not wrong.
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Addresses Controversial Decision in Final Minutes of Game 7