Miami Heat wing Caleb Martin believes his foul on Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been blown well out of proportion.
"If the roles were reversed no one would be calling it a Code Red," he told reporters Tuesday while denying he was intentionally looking to take Tatum out.
Celtics on CLNS @CelticsCLNSCaleb Martin responds to accusations his foul on Tatum was intentional: "That's just not who I am." <br><br>"If the roles were switched, I don't think anybody would've called it a code red ... I clearly got pushed into him." <br><br>⚡️ <a href="">@Prizepicks</a> <a href="">@PXG</a> <a href="">
Martin went to crash the glass with a minute left in Miami's 114-94 Game 1 loss to Boston in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. He made contact with Tatum as the Celtics forward was mid-air to collect the rebound, which led Tatum to fall hard to the floor.
Some of Tatum's teammates, including Jaylen Brown, clearly took exception to the bump, though things didn't escalate much from there. Martin and Brown each received a technical foul and the action continued.
Immediately after the game, Martin acknowledged he committed a "hard foul" on Tatum but said he ran toward the basket with no malicious intent. He added he received a bit of a shove that accelerated his forward momentum, something that appeared to be corroborated by replays of the sequence.
The discourse ramped up, however, thanks to comments from former Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine, who now works for NBC Sports Boston. Without making direct accusations, Scalabrine referenced the titular "code red" from A Few Good Men and implied Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra instructed Martin to foul Tatum during a late timeout.
Celtics on NBC Sports Boston @NBCSCeltics"Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with a 1:30 left down by 16, 30 seconds later that play happens... that looked shady to me."<br><br>Brian Scalabrine reacts to Caleb Martin's foul on Jayson Tatum <a href="">
Spoelstra told reporters Tuesday he understands how people from each side read the play differently but that he believes it's all much ado about nothing.
Josue Pavón @Joe_SwayErik Spoelstra at Heat shootaround addressing Caleb Martin's controversial foul on Jayson Tatum in Game 1:<br><br>"This is good, clean, tough, physical basketball & it always has been between these two teams. It's not going over the top… this what everyone wants" <a href="">
The NBA seemingly provided the authoritative say on the situation. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported Monday the league office wasn't expected to level any additional discipline toward Martin.
