Caleb Martin is not likely to face any discipline for his controversial foul on Jayson Tatum at the end of the Celtics' 114-94 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 Sunday afternoon.
According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, the NBA is not expected to review the play for a potential to upgrade the common foul call on Martin to a flagrant or even possibly face a suspension.
The foul by Martin on Tatum occurred with just under a minute left to play in the fourth quarter, when the Heat wing collided with the Celtics star while he was in the air attempting to grab a rebound. Tatum fell hard on his back but popped up immediately without going after Martin.
When Martin tried to help Tatum up, Jaylen Brown got in between and had some words in a brief skirmish, before each were assessed a technical foul.
As reckless as the collision may have looked in real time, replays showed that Celtics guard Jrue Holiday makes contact with Martin that may have sent him into Tatum unintentionally -- at least that's how Martin explained it following the game.
"I know I hit him pretty hard, but momentum was carrying me," Martin told reporters. "I think I got pushed into that direction. But hard foul, tried to pick him up, that's just what it is."
Meanwhile, Tatum didn't seem bothered over the hard foul by Martin -- downplaying the situation and insisted he was fine, calling it just "playoff basketball"
"Just understanding it's playoff basketball," Tatum said in his postgame presser. "A physical game, playing against a physical team, shit's gonna happen. It's not the last time I'm probably going to get hit like that or fouled in this series. I wasn't hurt."You get hit like that, you just get up. And I knew we were in the bonus, so go down there and knock my free throws down."
In the aftermath, Tatum avoided being seriously injured while finishing with his first career playoff triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the blowout win over the shorthanded Heat.
Expect the Celtics to be on alert in Game 2, which is scheduled for Wednesday night at TD Garden, with TNT having the tip-off at 7:00 pm ET.
Joel Pavón
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