Caleb Martin Responds To Dirty Play Accusation On Celtics Star Jayson Tatum
The Celtics dominated the Heat in Game 1 at TD Garden, but the matchup ended with controversy that continued to stir up the rivalry between the sides.
After grabbing an offensive rebound in the last minute of Sunday’s game, Caleb Martin forcefully collided with Jayson Tatum to topple him. The Boston player didn’t seem to mind the foul, but after the game Jaylen Brown confronted the Miami forward and referred to it as a “dirty play.” Even though Joe Mazzulla enjoyed the move and was curious to see how his superstar would respond, former Celtics players defended Tatum.
Although Martin was a pain in Boston’s side during the Eastern Conference finals the previous season, the 28-year-old claims that the altercation at the conclusion of Game 1 was an isolated instance of the rivalry between the clubs.
“I mean anybody who knows me knows I don’t feel the need to try to take out guys in order beat somebody,” Martin told reporters Tuesday, per CLNS Media. “First thing I did was turn around and check if he was OK. If I was trying to take somebody out, I would have just walked away. That’s just not who I am. It’s the playoffs. Hard fouls occur frequently. Nobody would have deemed that a code red if the roles had been reversed. It just happened, and it’s obvious that I bumped into him if you watch it.
Martin looks to receive a slight shove from Jrue Holiday as he rushes for the hoop, according to a replay of the harsh foul. The fifth-year player said that a small shove turned him into Tatum as he was about to go up for a putback dunk.
Whether Martin tried to purposely smash into Tatum and is using Holiday’s minor nudge as an explanation is up for debate. But in order to avoid losing the best-of-seven series 0–2 to Miami, the Heat will attack in Game 2.
