Kolek wasn't about to let Donovan Mitchell hear the end of his Christmas Day block.
The New York Knicks (21-9) pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in NBA Christmas history on Thursday, erasing a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-15) 126-124 at Madison Square Garden.
While Jalen Brunson led the way with 34 points and Jordan Clarkson came off the bench with 25, it was second-year guard Tyler Kolek who made the play that had the Garden crowd chanting his name.
The Play That Changed Everything
With the Cavaliers leading 117-116 and just under two minutes remaining, Brunson lost control of the ball and Darius Garland pushed it ahead to Donovan Mitchell, who appeared to have an easy fast break layup.
Kolek was several steps behind, but he sprinted back and swung his hand down as Mitchell went up for what looked like an easy bucket.
A foul was initially called, but after a replay review the officials overturned the call and ruled it a clean block. Kolek made sure Mitchell knew exactly what happened as he sat on the floor.
"Right when Donovan Mitchell was on the ground I told him that was all ball," Kolek said after the game.
Kolek Calls Out Mitchell's Showboating
When asked about the play in the locker room, Kolek didn't hold back in explaining why he was able to catch up to the six-time All-Star in the first place.
"If he ran and did a regular layup, I wouldn't have caught up to him," Kolek said. "He wanted to do some windmill s--t, he slowed down, he was trying to do something crazy."
Mitchell acknowledged after the game that he never expected Kolek to be there and gave the second-year guard credit for the effort.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson also admitted his star guard made a mistake, telling reporters that Mitchell knew he should have just laid it in.
Kolek's Emergence as a Key Rotation Piece
The block capped off a terrific performance for Kolek, who finished with 16 points and nine assists while leading all players with a plus-24 rating on the night.
The former Marquette standout has become an important part of head coach Mike Brown's rotation this season, averaging 16.1 minutes per game over the last 15 contests heading into Christmas.
Just two days before the Cleveland game, Kolek made his first career NBA start against the Timberwolves and poured in a career-high 20 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
With Brunson returning from an ankle injury for Christmas Day, Kolek shifted back to the bench but continued to produce at a high level when his number was called.
The Knicks' 17-point fourth-quarter comeback marked the largest Christmas Day rally in the play-by-play era, and New York has now won on Christmas for the third straight year.
With Madison Square Garden's crowd chanting "Tyler Kolek!" down the stretch, the second-year guard proved he belongs in big moments for a team with championship aspirations.