sport news Heat's Caleb Martin slammed for 'shady' foul on Boston's Jayson Tatum in Game 1 ... trends now
View
comments
Tempers flared in the final minute of the Boston Celtics' first-round matchup against the Miami Heat on Sunday, when Caleb Martin undercut Jayson Tatum on a rebound attempt and sent him crashing hard to floor, leading to a brief scrum afterward.
The Heat forward came in hard on his Celtics counterpart with exactly 60 seconds left to play in Boston's 20-point blowout (114-94) at TD Garden, as he ran into traffic inside the paint while Tatum stood next to Miami's board, looking to add to his rebounding tally.
Tatum's teammate Jaylen Brown, who ended up with 17 points and eight rebounds on the night, got in Martin's face afterward, as both players needed to be separated by in-game officials before double technical fouls were handed to each player.
NBA commentator Brian Calabrine - a member of the Celtics' 2008 Championship team - described the foul 'as shady' on NBC Boston's cast of the game, while Martin told reporters afterward that he tried to help Tatum get back on his feet before Brown intervened.
'I tried to go help [Tatum] up,' Martin said postgame. 'Obviously I hit him pretty hard. Momentum was carrying me. I think I got pushed into that direction but, you know, hard foul. Tried to pick him up. It's just what it is.'
Caleb Martin drew a hard foul on Jayson Tatum in the last 60 secs. of Heat-Celtics on Sunday
The Heat forward came crashing into the paint for a rebound while Tatum was facing the hoop
Refs had to separate Martin and Jaylen Brown after the Celtic came in to step up for Tatum