Nathaniel S Butler. Getty Images.

No one, and I mean no one, embraces the idea that “ball is life” more than NBA champion and Boston legend Payton Pritchard. You hear stories about how he’s always at the gym or in the weight room no matter what’s going on. He eats, breathes and sleeps very clearly during the basketball game. You can’t always say that when it comes to every NBA player, but when it comes to Pritchard, it certainly is.

That’s why this video of him sneaking off to play 1-on-1 with a kid in a Boston park while he and his wife walk their dog is pretty much the most Payton Pritchard moment in the history of Payton Pritchard moments

Like I said, Payton Pritchard is a legend. That child will tell the story of that moment for the rest of his life. Luckily there’s a video of it so his friends have no choice but to believe him, and I love how seriously Pritchard takes it. That man is a competitor at heart and it clearly doesn’t matter if it’s the NBA Finals or a nice Sunday morning walk. He’s always locked up. If you think I didn’t make a mental note of that message, you’re crazy. Don’t be surprised if we see Prichard unleash that tonight against Dame or something, and the branding on what appears to be double rims was impressive too. That’s the shooter’s touch you read about.

The bigger point is that this moment is a great example of why the Celts are so important and their championship means so much to the city. They are ingrained in the fabric of the city and its fan base. Let’s face it, they can’t do anything wrong at this point and it’s pretty incredible. On the floor they are busy kicking everyone in their path again, off the field they have moments like this. I would ask who has it better than us, but we all know the answer is no one.

You also can’t ignore the Basketball Gods part of this video. As we know, they are always to look. You’re telling me Pritchard doesn’t deserve Basketball God karma with a move like this? It wasn’t for show, it wasn’t for the cameras, it was just a man who loves sharing that love with a young fan. Remember this the next time we see a Pritchard full-court impact coming in. It all matters.

When it comes to how Pritchard fares against real NBA competition, it’s hard to complain. Over 42% from three on about 8 3PA per game, he’s as lights out as ever

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and how lucky we (and he) are that Brad Stevens never took the bait when Pritchard secretly demanded a trade two years ago after all those DNP CDs. He is everything you could want as a Celtic and as a person, and his play coupled with moves like this pretty much confirms this.