Boston Celtics’ chase for their 18th championship banner is in pursuit. Enshrined by a Derrick White triple with 45 seconds left, the Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the ECF. Celebrations were underway immediately as the Shamrocks advanced to their second NBA Finals in three years. For some, it was about kicking back and relaxing with a drink. One who didn’t stop celebrating was Payton Pritchard, despite taking a nasty kick to the face.

During the second quarter, Celtics’ undersized sharpshooter faked out Isaiah Jackson. The airborne Jackson then seemed to extend his leg. It struck Pritchard right in his face. Surprisingly, the referees only called it a common foul. And the aftermath was a swollen eye for Pritchard. Posting updates on his Instagram, he can be seen celebrating with his two teammates while his left eye is swollen and red. On the other hand, Celtics’ stretch forward Sam Hauser decided to take the celebrations up a notch.

According to The Athletic‘s Celtics reporter Jay King, Hauser “shotgunned” multiple beers in the locker room to commemorate Boston’s trip to the NBA Finals. After the buzz died down, Hauser walked out of the locker room with a water bottle in his hand. He specifically told King to let it be known that it wasn’t just beers he downed but also many bottles of water.

The Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jaylen Brown also shared a snippet of the locker room celebrations. During the video, Al Horford can be observed spraying beer all around as the upbeat Cs basked in their Finals glory!

Now, the outright best team in the NBA focuses on the series in the West. They will be watching closely and devising strategies for their next opponents, be it the atomic Luka Doncic or the ferocious Anthony Edwards, who are unlikely to make the cut.

Payton Pritchard provided an update on Kristaps Porzingis

In the midst of a Celtics sweep, the NBA community might be forgetting the absence of their star center Kristaps Porzingis. Suffering from an ankle injury, the 7 foot 2 center has been sidelined for the past 10 postseason games during the Finals run. He last participated in Game 4 against the Miami Heat, where he scored 7 points in 14 minutes before having to be forced out.

However, it might not be long before the former Knick returns. Speaking about his teammate before Game 4, Pritchard had an uplifting update for the Celtics fans. “He looked really good. I think he’ll be ready shortly”, the 6’1″ point guard said. As the starting center, Porzingis’ floor spacing and rim protection were instrumental in Boston’s rise as the best team in the NBA this season.

During his short stint in the playoff, he has averaged 12.3 points and a team-leading 1.5 blocks per game.

If it’s the Dallas Mavericks, who are also on the verge of completing a sweep to make it to the NBA Finals, having Porzingis could be a significant advantage. The Unicorn played alongside Doncic for two and a half seasons since 2019. The Celtics center understands the mind of Doncic and how it operates in-game. The ability can be exploited by Boston in hopes of slowing down the Slovenian basketball prodigy.

What Finals matchup do you want to see? Let us know in the comments below.

If you are curious to know the detailed story of how Shaq landed in LA and won three straight Finals, watch an ‘Exclusive’ chat with his former agent Leonard Armato in the video below by EssentiallySports.