Kelly Olynyk is from the Zaza Pachulia School of Hurting People in the Playoffs, and on Monday, he let us get a peek at his diploma when the Miami Heat big man appeared to swing an elbow at Philadelphia 76ers rookie point guard Ben Simmons’ head.
https://twitter.com/blk_tray/status/986047754303504384
Fortunately for Simmons, Olynyk missed at his apparent attempt to take his head off. It could have been easier to give Kelly Olynyk the benefit of the doubt here, but his track record negates him of that. It could be remembered that he “inadvertently” caused Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love’s shoulder dislocation back in the 2015 NBA playoffs when the former Gonzaga Bulldog was still playing for the Boston Celtics. Apart from that, there have been numerous other instances in which Olynyk was caught trying to sneak in some cheap shots at opponents on the court. It’s no wonder that Olynyk is being branded as one of the dirtiest players in the game today.
Proving that karmic retribution does not manifest in the NBA all the time — or at least right away — Olynyk and the Heat managed to win Game 2, 113-103. Olynyk scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had six assists in 33 minutes of action off the bench.
Despite the loss, the Sixers should still feel good about the fact that Simmons’ head is still attached to his body. Simmons has been unstoppable in the series, averaging 20.5 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, 9.0 rebounds, and 11.0 assists in the first two games of the Heat series, and he’ll be looking to lead the Sixers get the series lead again this Thursday in Miami.
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