Game 1 of the playoff series between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat was particularly rough in the final minutes. With 16 points behind and 1:30 left in the game, the pressure could have brought out the worst in head coach Erik Spoelstra, who would have given an unsportsmanlike order to his players. At least, that’s what commentator Brian Scalabrine said.
As expected, the first games of the first round of the NBA playoffs have been intense. With so much at stake, teams cannot afford to be lukewarm at the risk of being left out of the tournament. However, Scalabrine went a step further by claiming that Spoelstra ordered his players to intentionally injure the Celtics.
The NBC Sports Boston analyst questioned a play in which Jayson Tatum jumped on a rebound, but Caleb Martin got under Tatum at the moment of the jump, causing the Celtics star to fall hard.
According to Scalabrine, who played for the Celtics from 2005 to 2010, the play would have been on Spoelstra’s orders.
Scalabrine’s suspicions
In a post-match analysis, the commentator stated: “I’m not trying to start anything here, but Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with 1:30 down by 16, 30 seconds later that play happens.”
“Why is he calling a timeout, and then why is that play happening 30 seconds later?” Scalabrine questioned and went further by calling the play a “Code Red. Like in A Few Good Men… I’m just saying. Why would you see that play? I didn’t like that.”
“To me, it’s a dirty play. I think Martin should get suspended for that,” said the commentator. He also asserted, “The idea of winning a championship is your star players have to stay healthy. And a guy goes up, and you just ram into him? That ain’t basketball.”
Player reactions
Former Heat forward Udonis Hasleem was among the first to respond to Scalabrine. “Shut yo sucka *ss up. He got pushed. Brian Weak *ss,” Hasleem wrote on his social media feed.
Most specialists consider that it was an unintended move. Martin said that everything was in the heat of the game. “I tried to go help him up. Obviously, I know I hit him pretty hard, but momentum was carrying me,” the player tried to explain.
Scalabrine himself toned his statements down without completely retracting them. In an interview with Dan Le Batard, the NBC commentator speculated Spoelstra asked his players to “send a message” to the rival since they are in a long playoff series.
The NBA has not commented on the matter.