The last two Game 7s in the Eastern Conference finals were played on May 29, which is remarkable because it had never happened before the Heat-Celtics championship game from the previous year.
Caleb Martin sat on the Miami bench last night exactly one year ago as he watched the Heat's devastating 100-96 loss to Boston. He did not participate in even one minute of play or an inbound pass.
Only Martin could have possibly known what he'd be doing exactly one year later, on May 29, 2023, in a Game 7 versus Boston, 365 days before the biggest night of his NBA career.
In the victory that advanced the Heat to the finals, he was the greatest player on the court.
Bam Adebayo, one of Caleb's teammates, said, "Caleb definitely made a name for himself," when the project was completed on Monday night.
"After that defeat, I believe he made the necessary effort to really turn things around and say, 'I'm going to be the reason why we win a series or big games.'"