Watch: Kelly Olynyk Scores 26 Points In Celtics’ 115-105 Game 7 Win Vs Wizards

Kelly Olynyk proved to be the unlikely hero of Boston on Monday night by scoring a career-playoff-high 26 points to lift the Celtics to a 115-105 Game 7 home victory over the Washington Wizards.

Kelly Olynky Scores 26, Celtics Beat Wizards in Game 7

The center recorded 12 of his points over a three-and-a-half-minute stretch of the fourth quarter. Olynyk jumped and dove all over the place to take 3-pointers and layups like this one, where he faked a handoff and drove to the basket, falling over past the baseline while scoring to put the Celtics up 26-23 with 5.7 seconds remaining in the first quarter:

After Olynyk made a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to give Boston a 110-100 lead, the TD Garden crowd began chanting “Kelly! Kelly! Kelly!”

The center frequently urged the fans to make noise in the final period, and after he headed to the bench with 1:37 remaining, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

“It was unbelievable. Especially to do it in front of our fans, the city of Boston,” Olynyk said. “It was unbelievable to be in there, feel that energy, and feel that enthusiasm — the passion that 20,000 people have and just thrive off that. It was pretty special to be a part of. Hopefully we can relive that.”

Even Wizards coach Scott Brooks praised Olynyk for his performance.

“[Olynyk] stepped up and had a great game,” Brooks said. “He made a lot of shots tonight, you’ve got to give him credit, he stepped up big for them tonight.”

The center’s statistics this season improved significantly after he began playing with his hair in a man bun, like he did on Monday, instead of a headband. When asked if he would stay with the bun look that helped him succeed in Game 7, Olynyk said he was unsure.

“It’s a good question,” Olynyk said. “Time will tell.”

Isaiah Thomas contributed a team-high 29 points and 12 assists in leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game 1 on Wednesday. It’s Boston’s first appearance in the final round of the NBA Playoffs since 2012.

”What a special opportunity to get a chance to compete against them,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said of the Cavs, who are 8-0 this postseason after sweeping Indiana and Toronto. Cleveland last beat the Raptors 109-102 on May 7.

Olynyk finished 10-of-14 shooting overall on Monday, all four of his misses coming on 3-point attempts. He was also 6-for-6 on contested field goal attempts. The center acknowledged how much assistance Thomas needed, especially in the second half. The Celtics trailed 55-53 at halftime.

”We needed it,” Olynyk said. ”That’s a tough team that we played seven tough games against and they can score. We needed to help out the starters, help out Isaiah.”

Olynyk, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, was called a “dirty player” by several NBA figures including Draymond Green after he aggressively knocked over Kelly Oubre Jr. earlier in this best-of-seven series against the Wizards. Oubre responded to the hit by charging at Olynyk and violently shoving him to the floor, a move which led to his suspension for the rest of Game 3 and all of Game 4. Oubre played only six seconds for Washington on Monday.

Thomas, meanwhile, is still reeling from the death of his sister in a car accident on the eve of the Celtics’ first game of the playoffs. The All-Star guard said he was impressed with how far his team has come.

”I knew it would be a big time game tonight. I knew it wouldn’t be easy at all,” Thomas said. ”And we came out on top.”

The victory marked the Celtics’ record 22nd Game 7 win in franchise history. Boston now boasts a 22-8 (.733) all-time record in Game 7s and the best Game 7 win percentage in NBA history, minimum two Game 7s.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards — who were playing in their first Game 7 since 1979 — with 38 points, 24 of which came in the second half.  However, the guard said he was indifferent to his performance because his team lost.

”I don’t care how well I played,” Beal said following the game. ”I don’t care if I played bad. The end result…The only thing that matters is getting a win.”

Otto Porter added 20 points for Washington, while John Wall and Markieff Morris each added 18. The Wizards recorded 15 turnovers, nevertheless, which led to 17 Celtics points.

”It’s tough. We came out here Game 7 and gave everything we had. Just came up short,” Wall said. ”Our goal was to get to Eastern Conference finals and we came up one game short. So it’s a not a satisfied season to me.”

BOSTON, MA – MAY 10: Kelly Olynyk #41 of the Boston Celtics drives against Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the Washington Wizards during the second half of Game Five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden on May 10, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Wizards 123-101.