Much like a proper fighter, Kelly Olynyk wasn’t about to let a little shiner keep him from playing in a game.
Olynyk took an inadvertent elbow while playing teammate Shavlik Randolph in 1-on-1 at the Celtics’ pregame shootaround Wednesday ahead of their game against the Indiana Pacers. As you can see from the photos, his eye got pretty discolored and swollen.
Mass Live reports that Olynyk rushed to have his eye checked out by an eye doctor, who gave him some stitches to close the wound. Coach Brad Stevens also initially said Olynyk was unlikely to play in the game, but the second-year center decided to gut through it.
Olynyk earned respect from Randolph in the process:
Shavlik Randolph: "I'm surprised he got up. … It took me about 30 minutes to feel my arm again. … He took it like a man."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 1, 2015
So yeah, in case you thought anyone was exaggerating.
Bottom line, don't cross Shav. pic.twitter.com/yIG6WUOwKI
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) April 1, 2015
Had that elbow come with a little more force, he might have wound up with a Margarito eye!
