When Hugo Gonzalez drilled a dramatic three-pointer to push the Celtics into double overtime against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, the rookie didn’t celebrate like someone who had just delivered one of the most clutch shots of the season. Instead, he calmly broke down the play like it was just another rep in practice. But make no mistake - this was a moment.
With less than two seconds left in the first overtime and the Celtics trailing by three, Gonzalez found himself wide open beyond the arc. The ball came his way, and without hesitation, the Madrid native let it fly.
Swish. Tie game.
Barclays Center, stunned just seconds earlier, erupted in a mix of disbelief and admiration. Boston would go on to win the game 130-126 in double OT, but it was Gonzalez’s shot that rewrote the script.
After the game, Gonzalez spoke about the play with the same composure he showed on the court.
“I was basically trying to make a play, try to catch it, and try to find somebody,” he said. “Then I just caught it, and I felt like Baylor [Scheierman] was going past me right there, so I tried to open myself.
I got a wide-open look. That was basically it.”
Simple, sure. But in the chaos of a late-game scramble, simplicity is often the hardest thing to find.
Gonzalez didn’t panic, didn’t force the issue. He read the floor, found his space, and knocked down a shot that most players only dream of hitting.
And here’s the thing - this wasn’t luck. The Celtics had drilled this exact scenario in practice.
“We know what to do in those types of situations when we're down three and we need a three,” Gonzalez explained. “We know that probably they're going to go, like we did before, like an umbrella.
That’s around the three, probably. So yeah, we practice almost every detail, and this was one of the plays that we practiced usually.”
That kind of preparation speaks volumes about Boston’s approach under pressure - and about Gonzalez’s ability to execute in the moment. For a rookie, this was a veteran-level response to a high-stakes situation.
When asked if he’d ever hit a shot like that before, Gonzalez offered a glimpse into his journey.
“This is my 41st or 40th game in the NBA, so not really,” he said with a smile. “When I was a junior, I guess, in the EuroLeague, for the time, it was a really big time, actually.
I remember it with a lot of love, that shot. I guess it was the last game of U18, more or less on the same level, I guess.
So that was basically it.”
That blend of humility and quiet confidence is part of what’s making Gonzalez such an intriguing presence in Boston. He’s not just a shooter or a role player - he’s a guy who, even in his first NBA season, is already showing he can be trusted in the biggest moments.
The Celtics have seen plenty of big shots in their storied history, but Friday night’s triple from Gonzalez - a rookie stepping into the spotlight and delivering when it mattered most - was one to remember.