Olynyk asserts himself on offense
As someone who rarely resists a conversation about food, Kelly Olynyk jumped right on a question about his dining habits after Friday night’s win over Atlanta.
He had scored 26 points in 31 minutes, shot 4-for5 from 3-point range, and flexed his defensive muscles against Paul Millsap.
Just what, the television reporter wanted to know, did he have for breakfast.
“Me and Jonas ( Jerebko) went for Thai food, so maybe that helped,” he deadpanned.
But more than pad Thai or Tom yum soup, Olynyk was the beneficiary of the extra attention drawn by Isaiah Thomas.
The open shots allowed Olynyk to get going early — he scored all nine of his first-quarter points from downtown — and produce one of his most energetic offensive tears of the season.
“The defense they were doing, especially in the first half when they were just doubling me and keeping two guys on me — Kelly’s perfect for that situation because he spaces the floor and he’s going to knock down open shots,” said-Thomas. “He took advantage of his opportunities and we needed that. We needed every shot he made. He played big for us.”
Olynyk in turn knows where his offense will continue to shine. As Thomas continues to play as one of the most unstoppable forces in the league, and especially the fourth quarter, Olynyk will feast on something else — kickouts.
“I wouldn’t say they were blatantly leaving me. They were trying to help on IT’s drives,” said Olynyk. “Other games people don’t help and he has 52, so you have to do something. But it was good that we could step up and make some shots and take pressure off of him.”
This may be progress for Olynyk, who has suffered through his usual aggression issues at other points this season. But there was no hesitance in his shooting against the Hawks, and he continued to show why he’s an improving defensive player, especially in terms of team defense.
“Just working at being in the right position as much as you possibly can, helping and cracking back, that kind of stuff,” he said. “That makes a team defense really good. It’s a mindset. Anybody can do it. You just have to think one step ahead.”
Olynyk’s role — he started the second half in place of Amir Johnson — just might expand if coach Brad
Stevens sees more of this. “He was really good,” said Stevens. “I thought that we actually did a pretty good job, all things considered. And Kelly was very good.”
It may also represent another step forward in the development of Stevens’ offensive system.
“It’s huge playing through the bigs to make plays,” Olynyk said of this system, which worked particularly well when he was on the floor with Al Horford.
“Al is one of the best in the league at that — sharing the ball, making plays, having skill in all five positions is really tough to guard,” he said.
Crowder fined $25K
The postgame skirmish between the Celtics and Wizards on Wednesday flared up again yesterday — this time in the form of punishment meted out by the NBA. Celtics forward Jae
Crowder was fined $25,000 for his confrontation with Washington guard John Wall.
According to the league, Crowder also was fined for attempting to escalate the situation after leaving the court. Wall was fined $15,000 for his role.
Nasty relationship
As evidenced by Thomas’ renewed nasty relationship with Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder, who accused Thomas of insulting his family, there is a thriving rivalry against the Hawks again.
Probably more now that Horford has switched sides. And then there’s the Celtics’ loss to Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs last season.
“It means a lot,” Thomas said of the win. “Every win counts but this one means a lot. Especially with Al coming back, and they beat us in the playoffs. We definitely wanted to come in here and try to sneak one out.”
Improved health
The Celtics will know more at today’s practice about the availability of Avery Bradley, who has missed the last four games with a strained right Achilles. The Celtics guard texted Stevens on Friday to let the coach know he was feeling better. . . .
Horford was clearly touched by his teammates’ desire to win in his return to Atlanta, a mission that caught fire once Hawks fans started booing Horford.
“I’m just very proud of the group,” Horford said. “I think they made a bigger deal of it than I did. I was just ready to play and they really wanted to win this game and I just appreciate their effort and everything they did.”