addByline("Marc D'Amico", "Celtics.com", "Marc_DAmico");
BOSTON – Isaiah Thomas said Friday night that Game 7s are “where legends are born.” Little did he know that Monday night, during Game 7 against the Washington Wizards, the Legend of Olynyk would come to life.
Kelly Olynyk walked off the parquet floor with 97 ticks left on the clock Monday night to a resounding ovation after he had poured in a playoff career-high 26 points during Game 7, which included 14 during the fourth quarter. He shot 10-for-14 from the field and made five of his six shots during the fourth quarter to propel Boston into the Eastern Conference Finals with a 115-105 win.
“It was unbelievable,” Olynyk said of coming through for the C’s during Game 7, “especially to do it in front of our fans and the city of Boston. It was unbelievable to be in there and feel that energy, feel that enthusiasm, the passion that 20,000 people had and just thrive off that.”
In reality, it was the other way around – 20,000 people were thriving off of him.
Olynyk, not known to be light on his toes, danced around the Wizards for four acrobatic layups that were scattered throughout the night. His buckets made Celtics fans giddy, as they celebrated a level of athleticism they rarely see out of their long-locked 7-footer.
Olynyk’s highlight basket of the night came during the first quarter, when he faked a dribble-hand-off to Thomas on the right wing and turned the corner for a drive to the rack that eventually turned into a three-point play.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived, it was time for Olynyk to showcase his perimeter skills. He canned two 3-pointers during the final six and a half minutes of the game – two daggers that sank deep into the hearts of the visiting Wizards – the second of which was a no-doubter that he followed with three steps toward the basket as he held his swan neck high in the air.
“Kelly was the MVP tonight,” Thomas said, after he himself tallied 29 points to go along with a game-high 12 assists. “He did it all. He made 3-pointers, he took it to the hole, he played really tough, and he’s a big reason why we won tonight.”
Boston’s fans agreed with that sentiment, even though they may not have predicted such a tale coming true during Game 7.
The Garden crowd would have serenaded any Celtic who stepped up Monday night, be it Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, or anyone else. But the fans took a special liking to the performance of their most unexpected hero, who had totaled eight of fewer points during four of the first six games of the series.
Loud, first-of-their-kind chants of “Kel-ly! Kel-ly! Kel-ly!” rumbled throughout the Garden as Olynyk’s 14-point fourth-quarter unfolded. They were deafening at times, unavoidable cheers for No. 41.
“I did hear that in between the “MVP!” chants for Isaiah,” Olynyk joked.
When he finally checked out of the game for what was assumed to be the final time, with 1:37 left on the clock, Olynyk walked to Boston’s bench with his arms extended outward as he waved to the crowd to make even more noise. They obliged, in resounding fashion, and they did so again when he checked out for the final time with eight seconds left on the clock.
This was the big man’s send-off to conclude a night he’ll never forget. Olynyk had experienced many moments inside TD Garden during the first four seasons of his career, but none were like this.
Olynyk had just penned his own chapter in Celtics lore. The fans were doing what they could to thank him in the moment.
He became a Game 7 legend, one who will be forever associated with this lovable version of Boston Celtics that – at the very least – reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017.
Off the bench Monday night came this 7-footer, with his long hair tucked into a bunh, who had scored a total of 26 points during his three previous games combined. All he did was score 26 during Game 7 alone to push his team into the winner’s circle on a win-or-go-home night.
That, unquestionably, is legendary, and as such, the Legend of Olynyk has been born.