the Celtics entered Game 7 on Monday night of the Eastern Conference Finals with the home crowd advantage and all the momentum imaginable after winning three straight games to tie the series. But they didn’t Caleb Martin.
the heat Wing enjoyed a breakout series and saved his best for last, scoring 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting in a 103-84 blowout win at Miami that sent the team to the NBA Finals. The win avenged the Heat’s loss last year to the Celtics in the same round, and Miami returned to the Finals for the second time in four years.
Martin was outstanding throughout the series, making 60.2% of his field goal attempts and making 21-for-41 three-pointers, averaging 19.3 points per game. He had just one 20-point playoff game in his career before this series, and topped the mark three times against the Celtics.
With many expecting the Celtics to complete their comeback bid with a win on Monday, Martin’s performance—and the Heat’s dominance—got a response on social media. Check out the most popular reactions below.
— nba paint (@nba_paint) May 30, 2023
Boston became the first city to lose a home Game 7 to an 8-seed in hockey and basketball in the same season.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) May 30, 2023
His Reaper. pic.twitter.com/eokgvfMTrT
— nba paint (@nba_paint) May 30, 2023
Tyler Herro gave his job to Caleb Martin pic.twitter.com/jTRZeDpLsR
– Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) May 30, 2023
caleb martin didn’t win the eastern conference finals MVP pic.twitter.com/hYVSQvUBrs
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) May 30, 2023
I told people about caleb martin’s 2023 ECF streak against the celtics in 20 years: pic.twitter.com/Y9MYFUuWS5
— alex (@steven_lebron) May 30, 2023
“We came from the apartments to meet Remy Martin,
In Miami I’m hot like Caleb Martin” https://t.co/htrwoDdLKw— The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 (@ThePettiestLA) May 30, 2023
Caleb Martin tonight pic.twitter.com/4bfmyDQc6T
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 30, 2023
the crazy thing is i didn’t know caleb martin was the no. 1 basketball player on the planet
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) May 30, 2023
Caleb martin vs celtics game 7 pic.twitter.com/fvIoc7V4v6
— vibey 🐙 (@vib9y) May 30, 2023