While Jamal Murray falls just short of the NBA Finals despite his ridiculous shooting streak in this year’s playoffs, we will have a different Canadian representative vying for a chance to win it all.
Kelly Olynyk, a key reserve for the Miami Heat through most of the season, will continue the streak of Canadian players participating in the Finals. This is his first NBA Finals appearance, while Canadians including Chris Boucher on last year’s Toronto Raptors and Tristan Thompson on LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers have played in the Finals over the last few seasons.
Olynyk actually fell out of Miami's rotation against the Boston Celtics, when the Heat tightened up their bench and downsized to match up with the Celtics. He might be more of a factor against the Los Angeles Lakers, who tend to play a little bigger.
The Heat also have a second Canadian player on the roster, rookie Kyle Alexander, but Alexander is on a two-way contract this season and isn’t eligible to play. With that said, this is the first time that two Canadians on the same roster have reached the NBA Finals together.
