The Miami Heat ran the Boston Celtics out of the gym in Game 7, in part due to Jaylen Brown’s struggles. Caleb Martin piled on Brown after the game.
Caleb Martin was one vote away from winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP. There hasn’t been a more improbable individual postseason run in a minute. Martin, who averaged 9.6 points in the regular season, averaged 19.3 points against the Celtics. His red-hot shooting from distance (48.9 percent) was a central factor in multiple Heat victories.
In the wake of Game 7, Martin made an appearance on the Dan LeBatard Show, where he poured salt on the wound of Boston fans. Part of Martin’s Game 7 duties involved defending Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown, who finished with game with 19 points on putrid 8-of-23 shooting and eight turnovers.
Why did Brown turn it over so much? Well, Martin was happy to clarify for the folks at home.
Caleb Martin trolls Jaylen Brown after Heat beat Celtics in Game 7
When asked if the Heat’s game plan after Jayson Tatum’s injury early in Game 7 was to send Jaylen Brown to his left, Martin did not mince words. “That’s always the game plan,” he said.
Brown’s loose handle had been a burgeoning storyline all postseason, but it boiled over into mass hysteria with the Celtics’ Game 7 loss. The Celtics turned to Brown with Tatum hobbled, and Brown simply could not create his own looks off the bounce. Miami took every opportunity to force him left — and every time, it felt like, Brown coughed up the ball and sparked a Heat fast break.
The Celtics now face a wave of uncertainty with Brown in line for a max contract extension. Meanwhile, the Heat continue to be the league’s most ruthless troll artists, capable of talking smack and actually backing it up on the court. Jimmy Butler was handing out Finals tickets in April, for crying out loud. Has there even been a more stubborn, determined, and irrationally confident 8-seed?
Miami will continue to talk the talk until they can no longer walk the walk. They face their toughest test yet with the 1-seed Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Every logical factor points toward the Nuggets as favorites, but the Heat don’t really abide by the rules of logic. If Caleb Martin can turn into Klay Thompson for another series, maybe we’ve got a Miami championship incoming.