BOSTON — Like clockwork, Payton Pritchard subbed into each of the Celtics’ playoff games against the Heat midway through the first quarter. Before Kristaps Porzingis went down with a calf injury, Pritchard and Al Horford checked into the game together as the first subs off Boston’s bench.

Compared to a season ago, when Pritchard was buried on the depth chart, that’s a huge step up. Pritchard has taken advantage of those minutes, making a noticeable impact. The confident Celtics guard always knew he could play these meaningful minutes.

“It’s been good; I’m ready for it,” Pritchard said. “This is what I want to do and be a part of this. So that’s kind of what I talked about last year and that’s what I wanted. So I knew I could contribute and I wanted to help to help win a championship.”

Celtics star Jayson Tatum called Pritchard one of the most confident guys he knows and that is saying something considering all the teammates Tatum has played with in the best league in the world. That kind of endorsement goes a long way for a reserve guard who had to earn his rotation spot on the best team in the league.

Last season, Pritchard requested a trade at the deadline because he was buried so deep on the depth chart. It wasn’t that Pritchard wasn’t good enough, it’s just that Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon were all ahead of him. The Celtics traded away Smart and Brogdon in the offseason, opening minutes that Pritchard has taken for himself.

The Celtics need this confident, impactful Pritchard who’s more than just a shooter. He gives the Celtics energy on the offensive boards, can hound opposing ball-handlers and make their life difficult in an already physical playoff setting.  When Pritchard does make shots, he is a quick-strike option off the bench.

“I try to be (confident) but there’s definitely dark days, there’s frustrating times, especially last year,” Pritchard said. “You go through stretches, you ain’t playing well. It’s tough. But you kind of have to look at yourself in the mirror every morning and just know what you’re capable of and the work you put in. And I think that’s really what it comes down to, all the work, the hours I’ve put in it’s just built confidence. Now I just feel like I can go against anybody.”

THE CELTICS BEAT the Heat in three straight games to close out the first round in dominant fashion. They made up for their hiccup in Game 2 and never let Miami sniff another win. The Celtics had different players step up, especially Derrick White.

Critics will point to Tatum’s impact, or lack thereof, when looking at his stats.

Indeed, Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists, which doesn’t meet his normal first-team All-NBA standards. The stats don’t show how Tatum affected the game in other ways, which is where Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla focused his attention.

“His defense was tremendous,” Mazzulla said. “I thought his pick-and-roll defense on the ball-handler was really good. I thought his defensive rebounding was really good. I thought his discipline to fight taking difficult shots vs. making the extra pass, I thought he showed that. I think the thing he’s really grown at this year is it’s going to look different every night, it’s going to look different every series. He was really able to adjust this series and find other ways to impact the game.”

The Heat sold out in an attempt to slow down Tatum by keeping the ball out of his hands. That is where the Celtics’ strength, their depth, stepped up.  White was arguably the best player in the series. So when Tatum did struggle like in Game 4, he helped out his team in other ways.

Mazzulla has preached that for the Celtics, success is going to look different every night because of how deep they are. Someone will have it going, like White late in the series, and Boston will let the hot hand cook. Tatum doesn’t force shots often and helped his numbers by consistently getting to the free-throw line. He had 9.0 attempts per game in the series.

The Celtics will need Tatum to be at his best in the later rounds anyway. The Celtics will face different defensive coverages in the second round against either the Magic or Cavaliers. What the Celtics need from their stars will change as well.

“You’re not going to play perfect all the time,” Mazzulla said. “I thought the thing that (Tatum) did well was he just kind stayed in it and he found other ways to impact the game. I think our team’s done that. I think that’s been a thing of our team. What wins one game, what wins one series doesn’t win the next one. So you just gotta figure out different ways to impact the game and series, and I think our guys have done that.”

NEXT SERIES: The NBA officially released two potential options for Game 1 start times of Boston’s next series.

If the Cavaliers beat the Magic on Friday night, the Celtics will host Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday. If the Magic/Cavs series goes seven games, the Celtics will host the winner for Game 1 at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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