"That looked shady to me" - Brian Scalabrine accuses Erik Spoelstra of using dirty tactics during Celtics vs Heat
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had no answers for the all-powerful Boston Celtics, who rolled 114-94 in Game 1 on Sunday. There was a controversial play near the end of the game. Miami’s Caleb Martin went up for a rebound but ended up running straight into Jayson Tatum, sending Tatum crashing to the floor.
Tatum popped back up immediately after hitting his hip and head on the court. Martin attempted an apology, but Tatum had none of it, and the Celtics shoved Martin away.
Former Celtics forward and current analyst Brian Scalabrine had issues with the play. Scalabrine thought the move by Martin was dirty, suggesting that Erik Spoelstra instructed Martin to take out Tatum in a dirty move.
“I am not trying to start nothing here, but Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with 1:30 left down by 16, 30 seconds later that play happens," Scalabrine said. "Why would Erik Spoelstra call a timeout there? That looked shady to me.”
The former NBA player thought the play was not a natural basketball play. He thinks Martin could be punished and called the move “weak.”
“To me, it is a dirty play. I think Martin should be suspended for that,” Scalabrine said. “That ain’t basketball.”
Tatum finished with a triple-double: 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Tatum didn't take issue with the play after the game. His response was short and sweet when asked about the aggressive rebound attempt from Martin.
“That’s playoff basketball,” Tatum said.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla also took no issue with the play. In fact, he found some pleasure in the on-court aggression.
“I was waiting to see what he was going to do, Massulla said. "I was excited about the whole situation. I enjoyed watching it. He’s fine.”
Mazzulla is known to participate in muay thai while not coaching basketball which may explain his acceptance for the aggressive defense. Despite the hard foul, Tatum and the Celtics coasted to a victory, taking a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Celtics dismantle Erik Spoelstra’s weakened Miami Heat
The Celtics jumped out to a 14-0 lead to start Game 1 and never looked back. Despite being one of the league's best schematic coaches, Erik Spoelstra failed to execute any strategies to get the Heat back into the game.
Tatum led the way with his first career triple-double. The powerful Celtics offense was on full display. Six Celtics scored in double figures, including 20 points from Derrick White.
The Celtics were on fire from deep. They finished hitting 22 of 49 3-pointers.
Boston, which finished an NBA-best 64-18, led by 34 points at one point. They withstood a late push by Miami, who went 46-36 in the regular season.