Former Musselman star key to Heat's NBA Finals run

Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin stand on the court after the Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals Monday, May 29, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman will have a former player at the forefront of the NBA Finals when the series begins later this week.

Caleb Martin, a 6-5 guard who led a pair of Musselman’s teams to the NCAA Tournament at Nevada, was a figurehead in guiding the No. 8 seed Miami Heat past No. 2 seed Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. Martin scored 26 points on 11 of 16 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range in Monday’s Game 7, which the Heat won 103-84 in Boston.

The Heat, who won the series 4-3, will play the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Central on ABC.

Martin on Monday added 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 44:48 on the floor. Miami outscored Boston by 14 points when he was in the lineup.

Donning a Finals hat and a pair of sunglasses with a white towel draped over his right shoulder at the podium after Game 7, Martin briefly looked back on what it took to reach the game's grandest stage.

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“I definitely reflect on where I started,” he said, “and the journey it’s taken to get here, even as early as the two-way [contract] 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 as I am to be here, I also understand that, like, we have four more.

“The job’s not done. We didn’t go through all we went through all regular season and my personal journey to stop here. We’re trying to get what we came here to get. We’ve got four more.”

Martin, 27, went undrafted out of college and spent two seasons (71 games played) with the Charlotte Hornets from 2019-21. Though he did not receive Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player on Monday, he was worthy.

Martin averaged 19.3 points on 60% shooting, 49% from three-point range and 6.4 rebounds against the Celtics. Boston guard Jaylen Brown, an All-NBA second-team selection in 2023, put up 19 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in the series.

“That might surprise y’all to the untrained eye,” Heat guard Jimmy Butler said Monday. “He just looks like an undrafted guy who’s been in the G League, who started in Charlotte and now he’s here — started on a two-way contract. To y’all, that’s what it looks like. To us, he’s a hell of a player, a hell of a defender, playmaker, shot maker, all of the above.

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“Everybody has seen Caleb work on those shots [that he made this series] day in and day out. It doesn’t surprise us. We’ve seen it every single day. And I’m so proud and happy for him.

“He’s going to be even better in this next round. And I don’t think it’s going to be a surprise to anyone else any longer.”

Martin recorded a double-double in Games 6 and 7 against Boston. He had 21 points and 15 rebounds in a one-point loss in Miami in Game 6.

According to StatMuse, Martin did not have a 25-plus-point game this season prior to the Eastern Conference Finals. He had two against the Celtics.

Martin contributed 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, when the Heat knocked off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks then the New York Knicks.

“A lot of people don’t see the work that Caleb puts in,” Heat forward Bam Adebayo said. “I mean, y’all see it now because he’s playing out of his mind. … I’m truly proud of him.”