As the Celtics were closing in on a victory that started the playoffs, one of their key players had just touched the court.

Superstar With less than a minute remaining, Miami’s Caleb Martin undercut Jayson Tatum, who had just moments earlier recorded his first career triple-double in the playoffs, sending him falling into the TD Garden floor.

Tatum had a heavy fall on his hip but immediately got back up. However, that didn’t stop Jaylen Brown, another key player for the Celtics, from going nose-to-nose with Martin, which resulted in a quick altercation and two technical fouls for each player.

After that, Tatum calmly made two free throws to help seal a 114-94 victory in the first game of Sunday’s first-round playoff series.

Tatum stated that he was alright physically following the play and that the team’s intention to keep its composure throughout the postseason—something it didn’t always exhibit in the team’s game against Miami previous season—was the reason he got up so quickly.

“Just realizing that basketball is in the postseason. Playing against a physical team is a physical game. “Things are going to happen,” he declared. “I’m going to get hit like that and fouled a few more times during this series. That kind of impact didn’t hurt me. Simply stand up. I was aware that we were in the bonus. Simply descend there and make the free throws.

Martin then stated to reporters that the play was not malicious.

Martin remarked, “I tried to go help him up.” “He just hit the floor, and I heard it. Of course, I know I hit him rather hard, but I believe I was forced in that way since momentum was with me. But he tried to lift him up, hard foul. That’s the truth of it. I’m confident I would have taken the same action if Jimmy Butler had been on the ground. It simply is what it is.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated that he wasn’t worried in the slightest when Tatum fell to the ground.

Mazzulla remarked of the play, “I was kind of excited about the whole situation, and I was waiting to see what he was going to do.” “It was entertaining to watch.”

For the majority of the next 47 minutes, he also relished what he saw.

Tatum led six Celtics in double digits with his 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game’s finale. Derrick White contributed four assists and twenty points. Brown scored 17 more points. The Heat were limited to only five offensive rebounds by the Celtics, who also dominated in the paint.

According to center Kristaps Porzingis, they handled Tatum’s situation nicely.

“I believe we were equal. I think we did a fairly decent job,” he remarked. “I’m not sure if that was an accident. These types of plays do occur. I believe that a small amount of action is appropriate for the postseason. It was enjoyable.