Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Olynyk received four stitches to close the gash, engaged in some pregame shooting that gave him confidence he could play through, then scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting over 22 minutes to pace the Celtics in a much-needed victory.
With the win, Boston (34-41) sticks within a half-game of a playoff spot. Miami and Brooklyn currently occupy the final two seeds in the Eastern Conference with matching 34-40 records. Milwaukee remains three games up on the Celtics, but the teams meet in the first of two remaining head-to-head battles on Friday night at TD Garden.
Kelly Olynyk Shines Without Batting An Eye-Chris Forsberg
So many great “shine” and “shiner” headlines out there this morning. And with good reason. Despite looking like Mitch Blood Green after his street fight with Mike Tyson, Kelly Olynyk suited up and had one of his best/most efficient performances of the season last night against the Pacers. In 22 minutes off the bench, Kelly scored 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 4 from trey, and had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and a steal. Anytime you play Indiana, and especially in the case of the Celtics, you worry about their size up front. But in Wednesday night’s game, Olynyk was part of a Celtics defense that kept Roy Hibbert, David West & Ian Mahinmi in check for the most part. The three were a combined 8 of 24 from the field.
Fans were wondering when Olynyk would break out the slump that dogged him since coming back from an ankle injury, and he’s started to really pick up his play of late. Over his last three games, KO has averaged 14.6 points ppg and has started to lose some of the hesitancy that makes me scream at my tv. We’ve all seen it-Kelly gets the ball, has a wide-open look, but instead of firing away, he shot fakes then dribbles his way into trouble. But when KO is feeling confident and just lets it fly, he’s a decent mid to long range shooter. I still have faith that the best is yet to come from Kelly Olynyk. He definitely has what it takes to play in this league, and I’d love to see him come into training camp next year with some more muscle/bulk. The kid has great hands, good foot work and a high basketball IQ. And last night’s performance also shows that he’s developing some toughness.
Related links:
Herald: Kelly Olynyk Shines After Getting Shiner PreGame|Globe: Kelly Olynyk Toughs It Out To Help Celtics Win|Boston.com: Kelly Olynyk’s Gruesome Black Eye Blew Up And then His Game Caught Fire|Yahoo: Kelly Olynyk Accidentally Reveals Nature Of Dougie Hamilton’s Injury
On Page 2, Marcus Smart Gets No Love From ESPN Insider
So according to ESPN Insider’s David Thorpe, Marcus Smart “is playing like Austin Rivers”. Thorpe softens up a bit towards the end of his assessment, saying Smart’s “talent is undeniable”, but I’m a bit miffed as to where the Rivers comparison comes from:
Thanks to our own MrTrpleDouble10 for the screenshot.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Celtics Take Down Pacers To Stay In Playoff Hunt|Celtics Notebook: Evan Turner Having A Ball In Green|CBS: Danny Ainge: Brad Stevens-Texas Rumors Just Talk
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