Heat’s Caleb Martin pushing through pain again in playoffs: ‘It’s just how I’ve always been’
Caleb Martin has become known by those within the Miami Heat’s facility as a player who will almost always try to play through the pain of nagging injuries.
That trait becomes heightened in the playoffs.
“You kind of got to,” Martin said of battling through injuries to make sure he’s available for playoff games. “I think you don’t really have a choice. We’re going to do everything in our power, especially me. If you can play and if you can go, then that’s what you got to do. It’s that point of the season, everybody is banged up.”
Martin is one of the players who’s banged up after sliding into the New York Knicks’ bench while pursuing a loose ball late in Game 2 of the Heat-Knicks second-round playoff series last week at Madison Square Garden. Martin crashed into “the bottom of one of the legs of the chairs on the bench” and sustained a back contusion.
Despite being listed as questionable for Game 3 because of the injury, Martin managed to log 23 minutes in his usual bench role in Saturday’s win at Kaseya Center even while reaching for his back at times in discomfort during his time on the court. He was again listed as questionable for Game 4 on Monday night in Miami because of the back issue, but again was available despite the injury.
“He’s such a competitor,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Martin. “He doesn’t want to miss time and he doesn’t have an off button except for like off the court, he’s pretty chill. It’s a pretty good balance he has there. But once he steps in between those four lines, he’s a savage competitor. That’s what we love about him.
“In terms of putting his body in front of harm’s way, he’s does that to try to help the team win. He’s had to defend a lot of bigger players this year and he has not shied away from any of those challenges.”
When asked Sunday how his back is feeling, Martin attempted to downplay the pain.
“It’s pretty solid,” Martin said with a smirk. “But it’s just maintaining right now. Everybody has stuff that they’re dealing with.”
Martin, 27, missed 10 games this regular season because of injuries, but nine of them came in a 14-game span that began in mid-December. Injuries only forced him to miss one game over the Heat’s final 38 regular-season games and he has yet to miss a game this postseason.
Even during the stretch this season that Martin sat out a bunch of games, Spoelstra said then that the Heat “had to take that decision out of his hands” at times to save Martin from himself.
“It’s just how I’ve always been,” said Martin, who went undrafted in 2019 out of Nevada. “You play if you can play. If you can’t, then that means you absolutely can’t. Also, that has a lot to do with probably my path of getting into the league with not having the luxury to not play. I don’t know, that’s kind of always been my thing. I always play if I can play.”
But that mentality alone isn’t enough. Martin also knows he must make the most of idle time between games to rest and recover, especially in the playoffs.
“It almost feels like at this point of the season, it’s kind of like who’s going to last,” Martin said. “Whose body is going to last because everybody is going through their own stuff. People are just fighting through it and it’s a mental and physical battle to see who can outlast each other.”
BUSY TIME
This past weekend in South Florida included a Heat home playoff game, a Florida Panthers home playoff game and Formula One Miami Grand Prix.
Udonis Haslem, Gabe Vincent and Haywood Highsmith were among the Heat players who attended the Panthers’ thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena on Sunday night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series.
Injured Heat guard Tyler Herro spent time at the Miami Grand Prix.
Spoelstra said he encourages players to take advantage of those moments as a way to get away from basketball for a bit during the Heat’s intense playoff run.
“I think it’s fun,” Spoelstra said Sunday. “The guys all understand that we have to get a rest, get off your feet. They’re not going to be standing doing that kind of stuff, but I also don’t want them just obsessing about [Game 4]. We have to rest up, recover, let your mind kind of wander to other things.
“I think that gives you a better opportunity to really lock in. If you’re just always on edge, it’s tough to get to that next level and our guys have been responsible with all that. It’s a fun time right now in South Florida, it really is if you’re a sports fan.”
INJURY REPORT
While Jimmy Butler (right ankle sprain), Haslem (stomach illness), Highsmith (left knee tendinitis) and Martin were on the Heat’s injury report, they will all be available to play in Game 4.
Heat starting center Bam Adebayo was also on the injury report because of right shoulder discomfort, but he will be available while wearing a compression shirt. Adebayo was on the injury report because the NBA requires teams to report injuries for those who wear things such as a compression shirt to alleviate pain.
Herro (broken right hand) and Victor Oladipo (torn patellar tendon) remain out for the Heat.
The Knicks ruled out guard Immanuel Quickley for Monday’s game because of a sprained left ankle he sustained in Saturday’s Game 3.
The only other player on New York’s injury report is center Jericho Sims, who remains out after surgery on his right shoulder.
This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 9:21 AM.
