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Martin shines as Heat become first No. 8 seed since '99 to reach Finals

Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin (16) controls the ball against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Martin shines as Heat become first No. 8 seed since 1999 to reach NBA Finals

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 5/30/23

Miami avoided becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead in large part due to the contributions of Caleb Martin and in the process became only the second No. 8 seed in league history to reach the NBA Finals.

The Heat blew the Celtics out 103-84 Monday night, avoiding an epic collapse and setting up a finals matchup with the West's No. 1 seed, the Denver Nuggets, that tips off Thursday.

Jimmy Butler led Miami with 28 points and was named Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player, but it was Martin who generated a spark in the closing moments of the third quarter and early in the fourth with eight consecutive points that pushed the Miami lead from 71-64 to 79-66.

Boston never got any closer.

CALEB MARTIN ON FIRE

He's 4/5 from three... now up to 26 points as Miami leads early in Q4 of Game 7! pic.twitter.com/lcg8rikszT
— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2023

For the series, Martin averaged 19.3 points while shooting 60.2% from the field and 48.9% from three.

Former Nets front office executive Bobby Marks gave a rundown of how remarkable Martin's run to his big game was.

More on Caleb Martin

- Not drafted
- 1 year/$898K w/CHA
- Converted to Two Way
- Converted to 3 year/$4.2M w/CHA
- Waived by CHA
- Signed Two Way w/MIA
- Converted to 1 year/$528K w/MIA
- Signed 3 year/$20.4M w/MIA
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 30, 2023

Martin was a fan-favorite online with multiple people rushing to Twitter to praise his effort.

Definitely did not expect Caleb Martin to be the best player on the floor tonight
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) May 30, 2023

The Caleb Martin Show
— Roy Bellamy (@roybelly) May 30, 2023

Erik Spoelstra had Miami ready to play.

Jimmy Butler came to play.

And Caleb Martin -- who is a candidate for MVP -- was a major difference maker for the Heat again.

103-84, Miami.

The Heat, the No. 8 seed, are headed to the Finals.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 30, 2023

StatMuse posted a couple of stats to highlight the absurdity of Martin's productivity. The undrafted East Finals star has four 20-point games this postseason after recording that many in the regular season.

And in the series, he outplayed Celtics star Jaylen Brown, a former No. 3 overall draft pick.

Caleb Martin had four 20-point games this season.

He already has four 20-point games this playoffs. pic.twitter.com/dUyLXhMU2L
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 30, 2023

In the Eastern Conference Finals:

Caleb Martin — Jaylen Brown —
19.3 PPG 19.0 PPG
6.4 RPG 6.1 RPG
60/49/88% 42/16/67% pic.twitter.com/pyTlVAovoG
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 30, 2023

Butler is the clear leader for Miami, but as Game 7 in Boston showed, if it stuns the world again in the NBA Finals, it will be due to unsung heroes like Martin continuing to punch above their weight.

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