Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk has been open about the fact that he looks up to Dirk Nowitzki and models some aspects of his game after the future Hall of Famer. And on Wednesday night, Olynyk showed his appreciation for Dirk by trying to use his own signature move against him.
With time expiring in the first quarter and the Celtics up 15, Olynyk isolated Nowitzki 1-on-1 and drove hard to the lane. Olynyk then stopped, stepped back on one foot and took a fadeaway jumper. Look familiar?
The move actually worked pretty well, but the ball rattled off the rim and out. Nowitzki was seen joking with Olynyk on his way to the bench.
“I said, ‘Don’t give me my own move,'” Dirk later revealed.
“That was cold-blooded,” he told reporters after the Mavs’ win, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. “But it looked pretty good, and it almost went in. So I was a little fortunate there.”
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and even Olynyk would probably admit that. The last time we saw someone imitate Dirk’s shot, it basically won the game (video here). Olynyk still has some work to do.
