An NBA analyst called out Miami Heat small forward Caleb Martin after Game 3 of the 2023 Finals.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” that Martin “has been a virtual no-show in these Finals.”
Martin is averaging only 5.3 points in the Finals against the Denver Nuggets while shooting 31.6% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. It’s a huge dropoff from what the swingman produced in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Caleb Martin, Miami Heat & Denver Nuggets Updates
In the seven-game series versus Boston, Martin averaged 19.3 points, 6.4 boards and 1.7 assists.
“Yeah, they did a great job of staying home and making our guys make tough twos,” Martin said after Game 3. “They made adjustments. That’s part of it. That’s part of the playoffs. You’re going to see different coverages, different looks every game. Every game is going to be a different game. So that was the game tonight, and it will be a different game Game 4.”
Game 4 is a must-win contest for the Heat. They can’t afford to go down 3-1 with the series heading back to Denver for Game 5.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Caleb Martin, Miami Heat & Denver Nuggets Updates
For Miami to win Game 4, the team has to find a way to slow down Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Both stars had triple-doubles in Game 3.
“I mean, they are two great players,” Martin said. “They obviously had triple-doubles and they can get it done, whether that’s passing, playmaking, shotmaking, whatever it is. That’s the reason why they are playing for a championship right now. They are one of the best duos in the league. But I don’t think that we did enough, as much as we are capable of doing, and making it tough on those guys, kind of like we did in Game 2. Just find ways in adjusting to the fact they are getting to their spots.
“We just have to have a better approach mentally. Whenever their shots are falling, we can’t let that trickle into our offense. Make sure we stay with it and put more pressure on those guys.”
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