Playing in NBA Finals ‘dream come true’ for Kamloops’ Olynyk

Sep 29, 2020 | 3:29 PM

Kelly Olynyk is ready for whatever comes his way in his first NBA Finals, which tip off Wednesday night against the L.A. Lakers.

The Kamloops native has averaged 12 minutes a game in the playoffs, but playing time dropped in the Eastern Conference Final. He didn’t play in Games 4 and 6 against Boston, but he hopes coach Eric Spoelstra utilizes his 6’11” size against a big Lakers team.

“Obviously you want to help and contribute, but you never know what your role is going to be,” said Olynyk told CFJC Today over the phone from Orlando. “The playoffs are different. Every game is its own entity. You’ve just got to be ready. You never know when you’re number’s going to be called. You might be in there for two, three, four minutes, and you’ve got to make sure you’re leaving your fingerprint on the game and making an impact, whatever it is.”

No matter how much he plays, it’s been a fun ride. Just getting to the NBA Finals is a dream come true for the South Kam grad.

“Those are your dreams and goals and aspirations as a kid,” Olynyk said about making it to the NBA. “Then once you get here, that’s the ultimate goal when you’re on a team in the NBA. Now that you’re here, I wouldn’t say it’s surreal because this is what you’re pushing for and driving for and working for every single day. It’s definitely an accomplishment to get here.”

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However, winning it all may be a tall task against LeBron and the Lakers, who have won each of their series in five games. They are the odds-on favourite to take the NBA title.

“They have size. They have lots of talent. You have to space them out. You’ve got to make sure you’ve got guys on the floor who are making shots in space. Be on the attack and do all those thigns we’ve done up to this point in the playoffs.”

Being underdogs is nothing new for the Heat, who were counted out all playoffs. They didn’t have a chance against the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, but they nearly swept them before winning in six. Then in the Eastern Conference Final, Boston was the popular pick to advance, but Miami also took that one in six.

“The other team was favoured in every series we played, almost every game we played,” noted Olynyk. “For us, it’s about being a team. The sum of our whole is greater than the part. As a team, we believe in ourselves and we believe in each other. We believe in the coaching staff. We walk into every single game with the belief we should win every game.”

While many have the Lakers winning the series, the belief could go far. Olynyk thinks getting to the NBA Finals is a dream come true. Winning it all would be something else.

“That’s the ultimate goal. That’s what you work for, that’s what you sweat for,” he said. “Especially in a year like this where we started training camp over a year ago in September. So it’s been a long season with pauses in between, but to be on this level and have this opportunity, it’s something you dream about and live for.”

by Chad Klassen

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