How the Heat defeated the Celtics in Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals
It’s the question on everyone’s mind after watching him lead the Miami Heat to a blowout Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference finals. Just who is Caleb Martin and how the heck did the Miami Heat uncover him?
The 27-year-old Nevada product was arguably the most consistent Heat player in this series, and that was before he dropped 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the most important game of his career. Overall, he averaged 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in helping Miami avoid becoming the first NBA team to blow a 3-0 series lead.
So we ask again: where did he come from, exactly?
There is a long version to this story, one you might read on The Athletic someday soon. The short version is that Martin is one of a pair of NBA-playing twin brothers who had standout college careers at North Carolina State and Nevada. Caleb’s brother, Cody, was the more highly regarded of the two and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. The Hornets then brought in Caleb for Summer League, then training camp, and then inked him to one of their two two-way contracts.
In relative obscurity, the two brothers carved out utility roles for the Hornets over the next couple years. Cody was a better scorer, while Caleb thrived defensively. The two posted nearly identical numbers during the 2020-21 season, which ended with a loss in the Play-In Tournament. Facing a roster crunch, though, the Hornets made the decision to waive Caleb and keep Cody around. Cody eventually signed a four-year, $32 million extension.
Caleb, meanwhile, found himself with few contract options – a surprise given some of the promise he showed. But he had the qualities the Heat desired, so Miami found room for him on a two-way contract in the summer of 2021.
Last season, Caleb emerged as a useful player, but found himself again in a minutes squeeze with the arrival of PJ Tucker. He bounced out of the rotation at key moments, including in the 2022 postseason. But rather than keep the aging Tucker, the Heat instead elected to give Martin a full-time contract: three years, $20 million, with a player option for 2024-25. The thought was that Martin could be their version of Tucker: a gritty, wing-sized power forward who could take pressure off Jimmy Butler defensively.
Martin did that well during the regular season despite Miami’s struggles. Now, he’s done a whole lot better than that in helping Miami to the NBA Finals.
For more, check out this story by our Joe Vardon from earlier in the series.
Photo: Adam Glanzman / Getty Images
