Is Kelly Olynyk the most unexpected playoff hero in Boston sports history?

Debate the answer with Chad Finn and Boston sports fans at The Sports Q.

Kelly Olynyk of the Celtics reacts against the Wizards during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals at TD Garden on May 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

By Chad Finn

May 16, 2017

2 minutes to read

Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, email, his

Friday chat, and any other outlet you prefer. He’ll pick one each day (except for Saturday) to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation.

Did that really happen? Did Kelly Olynyk just turn into Dirk Nowitzki before our eyes? – Kevin A.

I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t have the printed box score right in front of me. Box scores are irrefutable in a court of law.

Says here he did indeed score 26 points on 10 of 14 shooting. It is also true that he had 14 of those points in the fourth quarter, when the season and so many reputations hung in the balance, hitting 5 of 6 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. He has also had a couple of rebounds and assists in the final frame.

So yep, that was a Dirkian performance. Couldn’t have picked a better time for one of Tommy Heinsohn’s loonier player comps to, at least briefly, come true. At this point, you could tell me Greg Stiemsma really is the second coming of Bill Russell as a shot-blocker and I might believe you. Olynyk really did that. Amazing.

I’m going to turn your question a little sideways now. Let’s look at it this way: Can you remember a clutch performance in Boston sports history that was quite like this? Meaning, a capable but often maligned player coming up huge at the absolute right time, leaving the frauds among us to pretend we knew he had it in him all along?

I’ve got one, and I think it’s a good one: Troy O’Leary, Game 5, 1999 American League Division Series. O’Leary, like Olynyk, was a good player, but one who wasn’t exactly bubbling with charisma, and he didn’t have a long track record of rising to the occasion. O’Leary’s two homers and seven RBIs in that unforgettable fifth game didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but they sure came from an unexpected source.

Was there are performance in Boston sports history more similar to Olynyk’s last night? Leon Powe in the 2008 Finals, maybe? I’m sticking with O’Leary. Make your comps in the comments.