NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 29, 2023

Caleb Martin

Miami Heat

Game 7: Postgame

Miami Heat 103, Boston Celtics 84

Q. Caleb, you guys have said all year that you guys do things the hard way, nothing has been easy for this team. For you guys to bounce back after what happened in Game 6, to win this one and make it to the NBA Finals, what does it say about the collective resolve of this group?

CALEB MARTIN: I think it just sheds a lot of light on how resilient our group is, how mentally engaged that we are and how positive we are mentally, no matter how the season has been going. Like I said, we have been talking about how the regular season has been preparing us for these moments, and I just think it comes full circle.

Q. You have made mention over the last couple years multiple times to the way you played in college. What was it about this series -- we've seen glimpses of it, but it finally feels like you tapped into that version of yourself.

CALEB MARTIN: It feels good. I feel like that type of style never leaves you. I knew it was going to come out at some point, but it was just a great feeling that it came out in a Game 7 on the road like this. It just shows you what I'm capable of, and I just want to continue to stay locked in. I knew how they were going to guard me throughout the series, and I just want take advantage of that.

Q. A lot of your teammates have mentioned the work that you've put in behind the scenes, off the court and in the weight room. Where does that part of your competitive edge come from?

CALEB MARTIN: It gets me better. A ton of credit to the organization and getting me ready for these moments. I do a lot of prep with my coaches and my trainer to get me ready for these moments. It's super-high-level competition. You can't hide it. You figure out if you're built for these type of environments or not whenever you get into them. I just I feel like I've just been continuously prepping and getting ready for these moments, and when these moments come, I feel like I'm ready for them.

I feel like I'm built for these type of moments. I'm just going to continue to try to get better and feed off guys like Jimmy and Bam. They lead the way, and we are just trying to follow.

Q. In a moment like this, going to the Finals and playing as well as you did, do you reflect at all on your personal journey, the undrafted, the G League stuff and, even this year, you took the place of P.J. (Tucker), which is another big thing. What are your reflections in this moment?

CALEB MARTIN: Kind of a little bit of everything. I definitely reflect on where I started and the journey it's taken to get here, and even as early as the two-way last year. But I think more than anything, it's kind of a weird feeling because I'm also understanding that as happy as I am, as grateful I am to be here, I also understand that we have four more. The job is not done. We didn't go through what we went through all the regular season and my personal journey to stop here. We are trying to get what we came here to get, so we've got four more.

Q. Hopefully this isn't too redundant, but 365 days ago, you did not play a minute in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In that span, especially last summer, what changed within you, and what did you do to build back up your confidence in yourself and be prepared for a moment like this?

CALEB MARTIN: I think as soon as we got done with the New York series, I felt like I instantly got -- I felt kind of disrespected just off how I got guarded last year. I definitely just wanted to take a -- I guess it was like a sense of pride and just I think a sense of just understanding how they were going to guard me. They were going to make me have to earn their respect, which I totally understand.

I just kind of wanted to make my -- come in, knowing I had to leave my mark on this series and understand I was going to be the guy that had to prove himself in order to contribute and change their schemes or whatever it is.

I just wanted to make sure I came in to contribute any way I could to make sure that I was being able to move the needle to get to the Finals.

Q. What was the mood with the team like yesterday when you guys got together, picking yourselves up after Game 6?

CALEB MARTIN: I think we were positive. I think it was a good sign, at least for me personally, just kind of seeing the mood and just the head space guys were in after that game. I truly think that we believed that we were going to come here and get a win.

Like I said, we are the 8th seed coming in on the road and everybody is counting us out. That's kind of when we work our best, is with our backs against the wall. That's kind of been the story with everybody individually, and even as an organization. So I felt like you just kind of put us right where we've always felt like we've been, and I feel like we are very comfortable in that type of environment.

Appreciate y'all.