Celtics’ Jayson Tatum has fans going wild after finally getting revenge on Caleb Martin

While Tatum may have played nice for the media, the on-court expression never lies. The Duke alum was even caught talking trash with some spicy language to Martin and Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. back in Game 1, via NBA YouTuber LegendZ.

Between this, Martin’s foul, and Tatum’s ferocious dunk, this seems to be a classic case of playoff intensity. Will Martin get his revenge in Game 5?

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics may be out of the Heat’s depth sans Jimmy Butler

Martin deserves credit for staying competitive and fiery in the face of a nearly impossible situation. Boston is fully healthy and was the regular season’s best team by a significant margin. The Celtics finished 64-18, finishing seven games ahead of both the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, who tied for the league’s second-best record.

Miami on the other hand, sputtered to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row. To make matters worse, star guard Jimmy Butler sprained his MCL in the Play-In Tournament matchup vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. As a result, the Heat have been forced to play without him against the league’s best team.

Of course, there’s some history behind this matchup. Miami upset Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, despite blowing a 3-0 series lead. However, the Heat had Butler healthy back then, and “Playoff Jimmy” tends to give the squad a whole other dimension.

This year, the pendulum swung back the other way. Fans sounded off on X after the dunk, including one who said that Tatum “sent Martin to the center of the earth.”

It’s close to impossible for an NBA team to win a playoff series without its best player. Injuries are a part of the game, and there’s nothing anybody can do about it. Tatum’s dunk on Martin serves as a metaphor for not only the difference in quality between the two squads this season, but also Miami’s rotten luck.

With the Heat now down 3-1 the team is now tasked with winning three consecutive games to pull off another miracle. Miami is unlikely to have Butler back for Game 5, via NBA.com. Technically, nothing is impossible, but the Heat winning the series at this point is as close as it gets.

The Celtics, on the other hand, will face the winner of the Orlando Magic-Cleveland Cavaliers series in the second round, should they take care of business against the Heat. The team is the current betting favorite to win the NBA Finals, via DraftKings.