The Celtics were close to finishing a win in the opening game of the playoffs, but one of their top players had a hard fall.
Jayson Tatum, who had just achieved his first playoff triple-double, was going for a rebound with less than a minute left when he collided with Miami’s Caleb Martin, falling to the floor at TD Garden.
Tatum landed on his hip but quickly got back up. However, Celtics’ Jaylen Brown confronted Martin, leading to a brief scuffle and both players getting technical fouls.
Tatum calmly made two free throws, helping seal a 114-94 victory in the playoff opener.
He said he was physically fine after the collision and quickly got up because the team aims to stay composed this postseason, something they struggled with last year against Miami.
“Just knowing it’s playoff basketball. It’s physical, especially against a tough team like Miami. Things like that are going to happen,” Tatum said. “I wasn’t hurt from the hit. Just got up and knew we were in the bonus. Went down and made the free throws.”
Martin said there was no intention to harm Tatum. “I tried to help him up. I heard him hit the floor. I know I hit him hard, but momentum carried me,” Martin explained. “If Jimmy (Butler) was on the floor, I would have done the same thing.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t worried when Tatum fell. “I was curious to see how he would react. I found the whole situation interesting,” Mazzulla said of the play. “I enjoyed watching it.”
