There's a good chance Payton Pritchard is responsible for a potential NBA rules change

A half-court heave can be the most exciting play in basketball. The unexpected thrill of a prayer finding the bottom of the net is rare. This is even rarer since NBA players are usually not interested in even attempting these shots because they don't want to ruin their shooting percentage.

One of the only exceptions is Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who may be responsible for the NBA's latest experiment in its rules change lab. The league announced Monday that it will be making a change to the way heaves are recorded at the end of the game in the G-League this season.

End of the “Heaves” period: Certain unsuccessful “heaves” at the end of the period will be converted from an individual player's missed field goal attempt to a team field goal attempt if the following criteria are met: 1) The missed field goal attempt occurs within the last three seconds of the game period instead of the first three, 2) the missed field goal attempt must be made from beyond the outer edge of the extended center circle (i.e. approximately 36 feet from the basket), as shown here, 3) the play must occur in the backcourt.

If a field goal attempt meets the above criteria and the shot is taken, the player will be credited with a standard field goal attempt. The final result of the team's field goal attempts is not tied to the individual player. If a field goal attempt meets the above criteria but the shot is blocked by a defender, the attempt is considered a team field goal attempt and the defender is credited with a blocked shot. Any associated rebounds following such a blocked shot will still be credited to an individual player if necessary.

Fans have been calling for such a change for years to encourage players to fire more of these long-range buzzers.

During Boston's run to its 18th NBA championship, Pritchard reminded fans, and likely league executives, how exciting it is to make a shot when it reaches the bottom of the net. On (at least) three occasions his prayers were answered and the home crowd went into an uproar.

For buzzer-beater truthers, Pritchard's appearance couldn't have come at a better time. Since the NBA had its largest audience of the year, there was a lot of excitement surrounding these recordings. The clips went viral on social media and attracted more and more attention to the game. Of course, the league will want more of these moments.

Who wouldn't do that?