"If the roles were reversed..": Caleb Martin retaliates critics with a blunt message over Jayson Tatum foul
Miami Heat standout Caleb Martin recently found himself on the receiving end of some criticism after Game 1 against the Boston Celtics. Late in the game, with just one minute left on the clock in regulation, Martin was shoved by Celtics starter Jrue Holiday right into an airborne Jayson Tatum. The play resulted in Tatum taking a hard fall, much to the frustration of Celtics players and fans.
Celtics veteran-turned-commentator Brian Scalabrine alleged that something looked shady about the play, as it happened 30 seconds after a timeout. Other Boston Celtics fans alleged that Caleb Martin purposely tried to take Jayson Tatum out mid-air, with the NBA investigating whether the call should be upgraded.
Nevertheless, a report from Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has indicated that the NBA won't be upgrading the foul to a flagrant or issue a suspension. Although the League has made its ruling, some still believe that Martin was the one responsible for the situation.
As he explained while speaking with media members on Tuesday, if the roles were reversed, the situation would have been viewed differently.
"I don't feel the need to take out guys in order to beat somebody I like to- ... the first thing I did was turn around and check that he was ok if I was trying to take somebody out I'd have just kept walking away. That's just not who I am ... if the roles were switched I don't think anybody would've been calling it a code red."
"If anybody watches it, I clearly got pushed into him." - Caleb Martin breaks down controversial foul on Jayson Tatum
After Caleb Martin and Jayson Tatum collided in the fourth quarter of the Celtics-Heat game, Jaylen Brown immediately reacted to the situation. While Caleb Martin went to check on Jayson Tatum, Brown brushed his hand to the side, thinking Martin was to blame.
At the time, many believed that Martin was to blame for the collision, but, as previously mentioned, on further review, it emerged that Jrue Holiday was to blame. The full replay of the play in question shows Martin running in from the top of the key when Holiday shoves him.
The shove changed the Heat forward's trajectory, resulting in the collision. Details have yet to emerge regarding the reasoning behind why the NBA chose not to upgrade the call on Martin to a flagrant, but fans believe Holiday's shove is to blame.
As Martin explained in the previously mentioned media scrum as seen above, anyone who watched the play knows he was shoved.
"If anybody watches it, I clearly got pushed into him. I was going for a putback dunk and the push changed my trajectory. This stuff just happens. Guys are playing full speed and things happen, so I'd never try to hurt somebody."
The Heat will look to level the series at 1-1 on Wednesday when the two teams compete in Game 2 of their first-round series.