Tag: Kelly Olynyk

Rondo gets ring No. 2 as Celtics alumni Crowder, Olynyk fall to Lakers

With the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 6 win over the Miami Heat, Rajon Rondo won his second NBA title, while fellow Boston Celtics alumni Kelly Olynyk and Jae Crowder went home empty-handed.

Former Boston Celtics Kelly Olynyk and Jae Crowder will have to wait at least another year as fellow Celtics alumnus Rajon Rondo and the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship with Los Angeles’ 106 – 93 Game 6 victory.

A big first-half lead by the Lakers — by as much as 30 points late in the second quarter — effectively put the game away early, but the Heat refused to quietly despite clearly having little left in the tank.

Having emptied their collective tanks just to force a Game 6 in the first place, Miami simply didn’t have the horses to get across the finish line — never mind force a Game 7.

Let’s take a look at how each Celtics alumnus did individually.

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Boston Celtics alumni in the 2020 NBA Finals: Game 4 results

It was a rough shooting night for all three Boston Celtics alumni playing in the 2020 NBA Finals.

It wasn’t a good night for former Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Finals by any measure.

None of the three Celtics alumni still in the bubble playing for either the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Lakers had a good game, and for us fans back home, the thought of the Lakers pulling even with Boston in total title count isn’t exactly a pleasant thought either.

Los Angeles took a two-game lead in the series as they went up three games to one with their 102 – 96 win over the Heat behind big games from LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

But, we know you aren’t here to read about their successes, so let’s take a look at how former Celtics did in Game 4 of the Finals.

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NBA Finals Game 4: Miami’s Bam Adebayo active vs. Lakers

After missing the last two games, Miami’s All-Star center will make his return in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Bam is back. After leaving Game 1 and missing the last two games, Miami’s All-Star center Bam Adebayo will make his return to the court in Tuesday night’s Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Lakers currently lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 after the Heat got on the board with an upset victory in Game 3.

Miami’s Meyers Leonard has started in Adebayo’s place in the last two games, while center Kelly Olynyk has come off the bench to play the majority of Adebayo’s minutes. Even with Adebayo back in the lineup, the Heat could use more of what Olynyk has given them. Olynyk averaged 20.5 points, eight rebounds, and shot 56% from the field while shooting 50% from the 3-point line on six attempts per game over the last two games.

Adebayo played only 21 minutes in Game 1 and was 2 for 7 from the field with eight points while dishing no assists, a rarity for such a good-passing big man.

Game 4 is set for 6 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

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Boston Celtics alumni in the 2020 NBA Finals: Game 3 results

Three former Boston Celtics scored in Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals that saw the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-104.

Though there may be no Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Finals, the teams that made it have two former Celtics alumni on their roster, and three of those four played in the Miami Heat’s big win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

We say “big” because it helped keep Los Angeles from drawing even with the Celtics in terms of total titles won for just a little longer, maybe even permanently.

While it is still unlikely that the Heat will catch the Lakers, who they now trail two games to one, it is at least looking like a competitive series going forward.

Of course, it took 40 points from wing Jimmy Butler to secure the victory with Miami down big man Bam Adebayo (neck) and point guard Goran Dragic (foot), both of whom hope to return for the Heat in Game 4.

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NBA Finals: Heat’s Bam Adebayo will not play in Game 2 vs. Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Miami Heat, but the Heat will be without arguably their best player in Bam Adebayo.

If the Heat are going to get back to even their series in the NBA Finals, they are going to have to do it with arguably their most important player, All-Star center and two-way force Bam Adebayo. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news on Friday evening that Adebayo, who was listed as doubtful, will miss Game 2 but he may try to come back in Game 3.

We likely won’t know until closer to gametime who will start in Adebayo’s place, but it’s likely it will either be Kelly Olynyk, or perhaps Meyers Leonard, who started the majority of the games this season for the Heat at center.

The Lakers, thanks to Anthony Davis and LeBron James, dominated the Heat on both ends in Game 1. They were the more physical team in Game 1, posting a +18 rebounding advantage against the Heat and the Lakers also attempted and made more 3-pointers than the Heat did in Game 1.

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Boston Celtics alumni in the 2020 NBA Finals: Game 1 results

Four former Boston Celtics play for teams in the NBA finals, and this how the three suiting up for the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers did.

After watching the Los Angeles Lakers brutalize the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, it’s difficult not to think of what might have been.

As an eenie-meenie, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty consolation prize, there will be at minimum a pair of championship rings headed to two of the four former Celtics currently playing in the Finals, with four total Boston alumni playing in pairs on each of the two teams currently fighting for the title, though for L.A. only one made the trip to the bubble.

On the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s former Celtics guards Rajon Rondo (Avery Bradley is also on the team, but elected not to join the team at the Disney restart bubble), while on the Heat it’s ex-Boston bigs Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk.

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Heat did very poorly with Miami guard Goran Dragic injuring his foot, a potential scratch going forward.

Center Bam Adebayo also evidently aggravated a sore shoulder and had to exit the contest early as well.

In their absence, the Lakers romped to a 116 – 98 win, and look poised to cruise to a 17th title to all of our chagrin as Boston fans.

For the ex-Celtic playing for Los Angeles, Rondo put up 7 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes of playing time.

On the Heat, Crowder scored 12 points, all 3-pointers on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc to go with 2 rebounds and as many blocks, also playing for 25 total minutes.

Olynyk added 4 points, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks in just 18 minutes of playing time, after having had an off shooting night, connecting on just 20% of his field goals.

It’s looking like old friend Rondo will become the first player in league history to get a ring with both Boston and L.A.

But we’ll hold off on calling the series just yet; this Miami team has proven itself resilient, if nothing else.

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On this day: Avery traded; Olynyk, Knight signed; Barnett, Simmons born

On this date in 2017, the Boston Celtics traded veteran guard Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons for forward Marcus Morris.

On this day in 2017, Boston Celtics veteran combo guard Avery Bradley was traded with draft assets to the Detroit Pistons for power forward Marcus Morris.

Avery, a 6-foot-3, 180 lb. native of Tacoma, Washington, was drafted by the Celtics out of the University of Texas with the 19th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft.

The former Longhorn quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s best man-to-man defenders while coming up with the aging core of the 2008 title team, and outlasted the teardown of the Banner 17 squad only to be dealt in order to make cap space to sign forward Gordon Hayward.

In total, the Texas product played for the team for seven seasons, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game while with the team.

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On this day: Kelly Olynyk born, Celts beat Knicks, Pacers in playoffs

On this day, former Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk was born, and the Celtics had first-round wins over the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.

On this day, former Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk was born in 1991 in Toronto, Ontario, moving west to Kamloops, British Columbia in seventh grade.

Olynyk played his college ball at Gonzaga, and was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks 13th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft before being immediately dealt to the Celtics.

Olynyk would make the 2013-14 All-Rookie team, and would play for Boston for four seasons over which he averaged 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

The Canadian big man would leave the Celtics in free agency for the Miami Heat in the summer of 2017.

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