Caleb Martin has lived a life characterized by humility.
He was raised in a tiny North Carolina hamlet that sounds like a made-up setting from a Pat Conroy book, in a roach-infested single-wide trailer.
Martin has struggled with disrespect his whole working life.
At 23, he was deemed too old by NBA teams to be drafted out of Nevada, and two years after settling in, the Charlotte Hornets dismissed him to make place for a new player.
Then, on Monday night, the spotlight was on Martin as he made a standout performance in Game 7.
Martin had won respect by the time the Miami Heat finished their no-holds-barred onslaught, winning 103-84 to advance to the NBA Finals. But the modesty persisted.