NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 23, 2023

Caleb Martin

Miami Heat

Game 4: Postgame

Boston Celtics 116, Miami Heat 99

Q. Caleb, early on you and Gabe were providing a lot of energy points, there was a lot of aggression and then it turned in the second half. Was there a specific reason, something you stopped doing, something they started doing? How did the energy of the game switch so dramatically there?

CALEB MARTIN: I think we just missed shots that we typically were making. Sometimes it's just how the game goes. You miss a couple, they go on a run and they hit a couple shots, and it's like the gates kind of open for them and the basket got a little wider for guys. Sometimes it just happens.

Q. It felt like a lot of your guys' turnovers tonight came in the paint and it looked like it was really crowded in there. Did you feel like maybe Boston was adjusting defensively? Did it feel more crowded? What do you think resulted in some of those turnovers?

CALEB MARTIN: Definitely. I think they were crowding the paint. They were being very active. They had a couple turnovers, a couple deflections that led to turnovers for us. That's what happens. You play desperately knowing the season is on the line and you know guys are active and they are playing hard. They did what they are supposed to do.

Q. Jimmy was just up here and he didn't seem too concerned after the loss, but what do you feel like needs to be better in Boston in a couple days?

CALEB MARTIN: Just get back to what we were doing. Really the biggest thing is put this one behind us and understand that we've got another one. That's the good thing about having to go to four, is we have another one and have the opportunity to go play them at their place. So that's the good thing about the position that we are in right now, is we have the opportunity and we just have to make sure we come correctly and take care of business in Boston.

Q. They probably have too many shooters to shoot poorly forever, but was there any difference in the quality of looks they were getting? And the same way, were your guys' closeouts the same way they had been the first three games?

CALEB MARTIN: We definitely didn't make them miss as much as we did throughout the series. It's one of them games that they got open looks and guys were going there and making the right plays. You see a couple early ones go in and you get confident, and those other guys feed off that. Like you said, they have a good group of guys who can really shoot the ball from the outside. It was just one of them days that they got it rolling today.

We'll do a better job on our closeouts, our shrinks and whatever else we have to do to get it done.

Q. How disappointing was it not being able to clinch at home one year after Boston clinched on your court?

CALEB MARTIN: It's definitely disappointing. That would have been a perfect world, perfect situation. But as we know and everybody else knows, we don't typically get things the easy way over here.

So like I said, this is right up our alley. This is the way it goes for us and guys like us. Again, I think it's only going to prepare us for the long run. This could be good for us.