2023-05-30 07:00:00
Marc J. Spears | ESPN30 de may, 2023, 19:03 ETLectura: 9 min.
Caleb Martin was a key player for the Heat in Game 7 against the Celtics
We review all the baskets made by the Miami forward in the deciding game of the conference finals against Boston.
BOSTON – With his cap from the Eastern Conference finals of the Leaning to the left in a 2023 Miami Heat jersey and matching white jersey, Caleb Martin bobbed his head to Rick Ross’ ‘The Boss’ as it blared energetically through the victorious visiting locker room.
For much of Monday’s Game 7, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound player was the Heat’s biggest boss on the court, scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and hitting four 3-pointers in the game. 103-84 victory over the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Through his efforts, Martin finished one media vote away from beating fellow NBA All-Star teammate Jimmy Butler for the MVP trophy of the Eastern Conference finals.
Considering Martin’s unsuspecting path to the NBA Finals, his story from going undrafted to forfeiting a two-way contract, to playing a starring role in a potential NBA champion seemed worthy of Rick Ross’s lyrics.
“What people can learn from my story is just to stand your ground,” Martin told Andscape. “Stay in the saddle, man. If you put in the work, it will eventually come out. The people who were recruited before you eventually have to see you. That’s when you have to take advantage…
“This means everything. It’s even hard to explain right now. It’s hard to even think. I’m numb right now. I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
Caleb Martin after Game 7 of the Eastern Final in which the Miami Heat were crowned champions of their conference. Photo: AP
While Martin averaged 9.6 points and a career-high 4.8 rebounds for Miami this season, his ascension to the playoffs was certainly not expected. On April 16, the Heat entered the playoffs as an unlikely gamble: an eighth seed playing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference. After upsetting the Bucks in five games and the New York Knicks in six, the Heat were again an underdog against the Celtics, the second seed in the East and defending conference champion. But after taking a stunning 3-0 series lead over Boston, the Heat nearly became the first NBA team to lose that lead before winning Game 7 on Monday.
In the Eastern Conference finals, Butler averaged 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game, and led Miami to a Game 2 comeback. Martin was also key, averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. while shooting 60.2% from the field and 48.9% from 3-point range. The Heat had a 9.6 net rating when Martin played in the Eastern Finals and were -4.2 when he sat out. Martin was also stellar defensively as Boston shot 35 percent from the field (20-of-57) and 8 percent from 3-point range (2-of-25) when contesting shots.
Martin is the first player in Heat history to score 100 points, shoot 60% from the field and 45% from goal in a single playoff series.
“The basket was getting bigger,” Martin said of his performance in Game 7. “I was just staying focused and understanding the needs of my team. My team needs my contribution, be it offensive or defensive. I was not surprised. I was confident. I just knew that when I got the chance, it would come out.”
Heat center Kevin Love told Andscape: “He stepped up his game the way championship players do. He could easily have walked away with that trophy (Eastern Conference MVP), but he’s all about the team.”
“Everyone has seen Caleb work on those shots day after day,” Butler said. “We are not surprised. We have seen it every day. I am very proud and happy for him. I think he will be even better in the next round, and I don’t think he will continue to be a surprise to anyone.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said being a “real competitor” is in the soul of Martin.
“If you get to the higher stakes, the further you go, the more competitors will reveal themselves,” Spoelstra said. “Game 7, or reaching the conference finals, is not for everyone in this league. Otherwise, more players, more teams would. You have to be wired a little differently, and Caleb is. He is pure. He competes at both ends. He lays it all out for all to see. He has accepted different roles.”
It wasn’t that long ago, it was questionable if Martin was going to have any role in the NBA.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, who coached twin brothers Caleb and Cody Martin in Nevada, called them two of the most competitive players he ever coached.
“When we recruited Caleb, we felt that both he and Cody were two of the most versatile players in the country and that they could both play one (point guard) to five (center) at the college level,” Musselman told Andscape. “We thought that with the Martin twins we could reach a Final Four.”
Caleb Martin averaged 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for Nevada as a senior during the 2018-19 season and earned 2018 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year honors. Cody Martin was selected 36th overall in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
Caleb Martin, however, was not selected.
“That was one of the hardest nights for me,” said Omar Khanani, the Martin twins’ longtime basketball coach. “I had such joy for Cody, who got drafted. But you couldn’t really celebrate it. (Cody) had to come out so we could celebrate. But we weren’t enjoying it because Caleb wasn’t drafted. The next day (Caleb) was pretty excited and asked, ‘Why doesn’t anyone like me?'”
Caleb Martin ended up signing an Exhibit 10 contract on July 31, 2019 with the Hornets, joining his brother in Charlotte. The Hornets promoted him to a two-way contract on October 19, 2019. Caleb Martin averaged 5.3 points and 16 minutes per game in 71 games with the Hornets from 2019 to 2021, also spending time with the Greensboro Swarm of the G League. .
To Caleb Martin’s surprise, he was released by the Hornets on August 7, 2021. He said he got over it with the help of his brother, his family, his faith and his work.
“That was worse than not being drafted,” Martin said. “That was the first time I felt like he wasn’t good enough. Whether drafted or not drafted, there are only so many spots for (60) guys. But a team that decides to cut you because they feel like you can’t contribute to what they’re trying to do, that hurts.”
Looking back, Khanani said: “It would end up being the best thing that ever happened to him.”
Khanani said that while Caleb Martin was always a hard worker, being fired brought “a different kind of urgency.” Martin returned to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he worked out three times a day starting at 8:00 am with Khanani at a gym owned by his friend and famous rapper J. Cole. Khanani said J. Cole was impressed by Martin’s work ethic and mastery of informal games and couldn’t understand how he was a free agent. He called Heat assistant coach Caron Butler about Martin and sang his praises. Butler then spoke to Heat bosses about Martin, who was already on their free agent list.
Unsure about his future in the NBA, a nervous Martin went to Miami, where he played scrimmages. Miami veteran Udonis Haslem was quickly impressed by another undrafted player who was a perfect fit. Heat center Bam Adebayo wasn’t surprised by what he saw of his Carolina countryman.
“He had to work. But like all of our undrafted guys, he came in, got in line and listened to my words and committed,” Haslem told Andscape. “I told him, ‘We have no room for error.’ We have to work hard, stay on top of everything and we have to work 10 times more to sit next to the common man’s table. That’s our attitude… You have to work when you come here.”
Adebayo said: “I have known Caleb since high school. I always knew that he could play. He just needed that opportunity and that structure.”
The Heat signed Martin to a two-way contract on September 14, 2021, which was eventually upgraded to a contract for the remainder of the season. Martin believed that “Heat Culture” and “underdog mentality” were a good fit for him. He also said that the player development the Heat are famous for helped him grow. The Heat rewarded Martin with a three-year, $20 million contract last offseason.
“The people here, I just relate to them,” Martin said.
Martin’s firm has more than paid its dividends for Miami, which is heading to the Finals. As Martin walked off the court Monday, the new fans agreed as they chanted, “Caleb…Caleb…”
“I’m a little insensitive to be real with you,” Martin said. “This is crazy right now. We are trying to stay focused. Try to get four more (wins). But we are definitely going to enjoy the moment…
“This means everything. It just sheds light on the work you did. You couldn’t have told me that I would be here two years ago, three years ago, five years ago. It’s a long trip. But it shows you that you can eventually get to where you want to be. This is amazing.
Khanani said: “We both shed tears. We both got excited and said, ‘This is what you work for, this is what you dream about, this is what you talk about.’ It’s almost like a fairy tale. He worked hard to get to this point and look where he is now.”
The Heat relished the moment in the visiting locker room with Haslem serving as disc jockey. Rick Ross’ most popular hit “Hustlin'” was likely to be heard. Even with Martin’s success hitting the world stage in the NBA Finals, the Heat don’t expect their new star to stop rushing now.
“That might have surprised everyone,” Butler said. “To the untrained eye, he looks like he’s an undrafted guy who’s been in the G League, starting with Charlotte and now he’s here. He started with a two way contract [con Miami]. That’s what it looks like to all of you. For us, he’s a great player, a great defender, playmaker, shot maker, everything.”
Spoelstra said: “He gets a lot of respect in that locker room just because of how hard he competes. It’s like his last breath on every possession, and I love him for it.”
1689649326
#Caleb #Martin #stopped #surprise #Miami #Heat