BOSTON — A Celtics-Heat series doesn’t truly start until there’s a double tech. The road out of the East has run through these two cities since the start of the decade.
It’s created a rivalry of begrudging respect. Two of the most well-run organizations in the NBA, finding a way to sustainably compete yearly.
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“We obviously have history with them, but all that really is in the past and it really just creates an environment of competition,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said before Game 1. “Both organizations really respect each other. Both have been here in the playoffs for several years and that is for a reason.”
As a physical Game 1 went on, Boston steadily opened up the lead and was in control for most of the fourth quarter. Then late in the game, Heat wing Caleb Martin crashed into Jayson Tatum, causing the Celtics superstar to land on his back with a thud that could be heard from the stands.
On NBC Sports Boston’s postgame show, Celtics color commentator Brian Scalabrine speculated that Spoelstra might have issued a “code red” in the preceding timeout that would have led to Martin trying to rough Tatum up, lighting social media ablaze.
“I’m not trying to start nothing here, but Erik Spoelstra calls a timeout with 1:30, down by 16. Thirty seconds later, that play happens,” said Scalabrine, a former player who won a title with Boston in 2008. “Why is he calling a timeout at 1:30 and why is that play happening 30 seconds later? That looked shady to me.”
“Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with a 1:30 left down by 16, 30 seconds later that play happens… that looked shady to me.”
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— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 21, 2024
Scalabrine made multiple media appearances since saying those words, debating whether it could have been an intentional move. While the tone was generally diplomatic from both organizations, Scalabrine’s campaign did draw a more stark reaction from Heat legend Udonis Haslem. The three-time champion left his critique in the comments section of a video of Scalabrine’s appearance on “The Dan LeBatard Show.”
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“Shut yo sucka ass up!!” Haslem commented. “He got pushed. Brian Weak ass!!”
“It was an irrational assessment in our view of what actually happened. The players are fine,” Spoelstra told reporters Tuesday. “All the outside noise or anything like that isn’t going to decide the series or the game.”
Martin explained he was pushed by Jrue Holiday and his momentum inadvertently carried him into Tatum.
“If the roles were switched, I don’t think anybody would have been calling it a Code Red,” Martin told reporters. “That just happened and if anybody watched it, I clearly got pushed into him. I was going for a putback dunk and the push changed the trajectory. That stuff just happens. Guys are playing full speed and things happen. I’d never try to hurt somebody.”
It didn’t appear anyone on the Celtics thought it was an unequivocally deliberate act. Coach Joe Mazzulla said he was excited about the whole situation and enjoyed watching it. All-Star wing Jaylen Brown said Tuesday he stepped in and pushed Martin away because he had to stand up for Tatum, regardless of Martin’s intent.
“Seeing a guy go down, I got my guy’s back 10 times out of 10,” Brown said. “You couldn’t tell what’s what in the heat of the moment. But it looked like something a little extra, so I said something. But it looked like it was just basketball, wasn’t anything intentional. So we keep moving.”
Of course, Tatum popped back up surprisingly quick considering how hard he fell, then immediately marched to the other end to take his free throws while waving the whole fracas off.
“It’s a physical game, playing against a physical team, s— is going to happen,” Tatum said after the game. “It’s not the last time my body will get hit like that or fouled in this series. So, I wasn’t hurt. You get hit like that, you just get up, and I knew we was in the bonus. So I knocked the free throw down.”
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“I don’t feel the need to try to take out guys in order to beat somebody,” Martin said. “First thing I did is turn around and check if he was OK. If I was trying to take somebody out, I’d have just kept walking away. That’s just not who I am. It’s the playoffs, hard fouls happen all the time.”
While Brown wasn’t sure exactly why it happened, like just about everyone else, he made sure to deliver a clear message to Martin in the moment.
“I just told him to watch that,” Brown said. “Making sure it’s basketball plays being made out of there. We know they like to play hard and be physical, but there’s a line.”
Brown stepped in to make sure that line was clear. Considering Martin’s explanation, the idea of a code red doesn’t seem plausible.
“We don’t gotta entertain the shenanigans,” Brown said. “But at the same time, we’re not going for nothing extra this series. Just be professional. We’re doing our job but we’re making sure we got each other’s back.”
Boston had to get tested at some point in this series. With no Jimmy Butler and old friend Terry Rozier still out with a neck injury, Miami is at a disadvantage and that was apparent in Game 1.
But no matter how depleted the Heat are, they always find a way to make things tough. That’s why Mazzulla and even Payton Pritchard said they enjoyed the moment. Anything to help find a spark and get the Celtics to rally around each other, as long as nobody gets hurt.
“We like that. I think it was a joy to see that and what it’s going to be like moving forward,” Pritchard said. “And we’re ready for that test, that physicality. And you could even see with JT, he got up right away and it didn’t faze him. Teammates had his back, so we’re just one big family. We take care of each other.”
(Photo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Jared Weiss is a staff writer covering the Boston Celtics and NBA for The Athletic. He has covered the Celtics since 2011, co-founding CLNS Media Network while in college before covering the team for SB Nation's CelticsBlog and USA Today. Before coming to The Athletic, Weiss spent a decade working for the government, primarily as a compliance bank regulator. Follow Jared on Twitter @JaredWeissNBA
