How bad were the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA's Eastern Conference playoffs?
Well, let's just say that the starters weren't great, but the bench was even worse.
On the other hand, the Celtics reserves were dynamite, led by Payton Pritchard, who scored 16 points. Meanwhile, the Cavs' entire bench finished with ... (drumroll, please) ... 15.
So it should come as no surprise that Boston won going away, a 120-95 onslaught that looked like we may have the makings of a sweep.
Anyway, Pritchard's fine effort drew tons of praise, and yes, a meme — which in the world of sports social media, is generally considered the ultimate compliment. And it wasn't just any ordinary meme. It featured an intense Eminem in the role of Pritchard.
Payton Pritchard outscoring the Cavs' entire bench with 3:29 left to play pic.twitter.com/WkcfCoziCT
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) May 8, 2024
Not surprisingly, it went viral. The combination of Eminem and the Boston Celtics will likely do that every time. And hey, when you're account is called "NBA Memes," you'd better deliver. This one does every single time.
The Celtics do indeed look as if they will cruise in this series after finishing 64-18 for the NBA's best record. Pritchard and other reserves — such as Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Sam Hauser — are big reasons for that. They have proven to be the ultimate supporting cast to starters Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Prozingis (when healthy). And when Prozingis plays, veteran big man Al Horford also adds to the Beantown bench.
Game 2 is Thursday, also in Boston. The Celtics are favored, and by a lot, and that's all you really need to know. But we can't help but wonder what meme will come next.
