Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat turned out to be a blowout. With no Jimmy Butler in the starting lineup to fend off the number one seed, the outcome of the game resulted in the Heat losing by a 20-point margin. But the game wasn’t without its drama as leaked audio of the interaction between Jayson Tatum and Jamie Jaquez Jr. found its way on social media.
Advertisement
A matchup with a lot of history (the Heat eliminated the Celtics in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals), the first game of this best-of-7-series had high-intensity plays, leading players from both teams to go at each other’s throats throughout the four quarters. One of these plays was Jayson Tatum’s hard foul on Jamie Jaquez Jr.
Jaquez Jr. received an inbound pass and Jayson Tatum immediately decked the rookie, causing him to fall to the floor. Jaquez, clearly upset, was seen on the floor complaining over the hard foul he received, shouting, “What the f**k are you doing?”
Tatum, who seemed to have no remorse for his actions clapped back at the Heat rookie with, “You gonna cry?”
As the game went on, the Celtics were already sitting on a comfortable lead, causing a frustrated Miami Heat team to retaliate. This resulted in Caleb Martin’s hard foul on Jayson Tatum when he went for a rebound with a little over a minute left in the game.
After Martin ‘accidentally’ tripped Tatum, Jaylen Brown took exception to that, warning Martin, “Watch that sh*t.”
Martin, who did seem a little apologetic, could not express it to Tatum as Brown had already confronted him. Given the high level of intensity the game ensued, Caleb Martin did not mind getting into it with Brown, stating, “You’re not like that.”
Given the previous meetings between these two teams and the fact that either the Heat or the Celtics have won the East in 3 of the last 4 seasons, this series will most likely determine which team will win and participate in the NBA Finals. Boston, who boast the best regular season in the NBA this season, are overwhelming favorites to beat the Heat, with many experts even claiming the Miami side won’t even grab one win this series.
After a disappointing series last time out, Jayson Tatum is determined to ensure that his Celtics will get over the Heat obstacle this season.
Jayson Tatum is locked in against the Heat
Many fans perceived the play by Caleb Martin which resulted in Jayson Tatum’s scary fall as a dirty move. Not just fans but former Boston Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine felt that the Heat may have tried to injure JT on purpose.
“Spo called a timeout w/ a 1:30 down by 16. [Then] 30 seconds later that play happens…Shady to me…’Code Red’…Dirty play…Martin should get suspended…Just ram into [Tatum]? That ain’t basketball…That’s weak.”
Whether Caleb Martin or the Miami Heat did intend to hurt Tatum, the Boston Celtics forward certainly addressed that play with poise.
“S*** going to happen. Not the last time I’m probably going to get hit like that or fouled in this series.”
The Celtics star seems locked in and hellbent on leading his team past the Heat, given how often these two clubs have met in the playoffs these past few years. It’ll be interesting to see if and how the Heat manage to bounce back from this devastating loss.
Tune into TNT Network at 7:00 PM ET to see the Celtics host the Heat for the second game in the series.
