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Olynyk, C's Learn from Grizzled Grizzlies Vets

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MEMPHIS – The Celtics wanted to run against the Grizzlies Friday night, but too often they were watching in Memphis -- watching an all-pro display by two of the game’s great big men.

Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dominated the lion’s share of Friday’s 117-100 loss in Memphis, as the Grizzlies posted 66 points in the paint in a dominant display worthy of their NBA-best 11-2 record. Randolph (16 points, 16 rebounds) and Gasol (32 points, 8 rebounds) combined for 48 efficient points, demonstrating why they’re among the league’s best tag teams.

Friday morning, Jared Sullinger said guarding Gasol was going to be a “bear fight,” but when the biggest bear in the FedExForum went to work in the post, the battle was mostly one-sided. Gasol mauled the Celtics in his 30-minute effort thanks to his portfolio of post moves, court awareness and crisp passes out of double teams.

“Gasol was huge and I thought he was the best player on the floor. He kept making plays over and over with the pass and the shot,” Celtics Coach Brad Stevens said. “When he gets the ball in that high post. (He) gets it with a little bit of time and space and it’s a killer. Gasol’s passing makes him really special.”

Kelly Olynyk (18 points, six rebounds) put together the best game on the Celtics’ side of the box score, and was especially effective in his 14-point, 5-for-5 third quarter. But while he showed his brilliance in one stretch, Gasol’s was on display for the entire night.

“I told our guys, I realize we’re all pros, we all have made it, but there’s some guys on the floor we can learn a lot from,” Stevens said. “Especially the bigs. It would be great to take notes from those guys. They’re really savvy basketball players, and they really know how to play and make each other better.”

The lessons weren’t lost on Olynyk, who’s becoming a more consistent player in his second year, but still knows he’s learning on the job.

“When you play the game so much, sometimes you get in a rhythm and get kind of (stuck) doing one path. You can learn a lot by watching guys play,” Olynyk said. “When you’re younger, that’s all you do is watch people play on TV, try to do what they do.

“Whose to say you can’t do that now?”

Olynyk has the right attitude, and especially for young players, that’s half the battle. He’s still searching for the consistency that differentiates budding stars and journeymen from reliable veterans. Olynyk, Sullinger and their young teammates are still climbing the learning curve that Gasol ascended long ago.

At one point in the first half, Olynyk missed two consecutive layups at point blank range in traffic on the same possession, and it seemed to rattle him briefly. But he was able to put together an impressive third quarter and bounce back with poise and aggression, including a highlight reel worthy block.

Efforts like Olynyk’s against the NBA’s elite are often milestones along the voyage to being a nightly threat.

“I saw the ball go through the hoop a couple of times, and I just kept attacking and trying to make plays,” Olynyk said of his third quarter explosion. “They were giving us openings and we just have to take them.”

The openings evaporated in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies had sewn up the victory with a few minutes to spare.

“We were at best an inconsistently good team. You can’t beat a team like this playing like that. You have to be on you’re A-game,” Stevens said.

Given their respective records, Boston’s A-game isn’t quite at the level of Memphis’ peak performance. The victory was the Grizzlies’ 21st straight win at home.

For the Celtics, it was another tough loss and another teaching moment against a superior opponent.