Getty Image
Former Celtics player turned broadcaster Brian Scalabrine threw around some pretty dangerous accusations after Boston’s Game 1 win over Miami in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
He shamelessly insisted that head coach Erik Spoelstra ordered his players to injure their opponents after being blown out in the opening matchup.
The insinuation came after a very physical play under the basket with the C’s up by 16 late in the fourth quarter. As superstar Jayson Tatum leapt up to rebound a missed shot, Miami’s Caleb Martin undercut him causing him to fall hard on the floor.
It looked bad, and some would go as far as to call it unnecessary as it didn’t appear Martin was making a direct play at the basketball.
But intentional? Brian Scalabrine says so!
Brian Scalabrine thinks the Heat and Caleb Martin tried to take out Jayson Tatum
“Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with a 1:30 left down by 16, 30 seconds later that play happens… that looked shady to me.”
(Via @NBCSCeltics )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 21, 2024
Here’s what he had to say in the postgame.
“I’m not trying to start nothing here,” Scalabrine said before indeed starting something. “Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with 1:30 left, down 16. Thirty seconds later, that play happens.
“Why is he calling a timeout, and then why is that play happening 30 seconds later?… [We call that] Code Red. Like in A Few Good Men… I’m just saying. Why would you see that play? I didn’t like that.”
Brian Scalabrine, who played NBA ball for a decade, believes the foul was not only intentional, but it was a direct order from the Heat bench!
Many argued against that opinion, providing some pretty strong circumstantial evidence to disprove the allegation.
Firstly, that timeout Scalabrine alluded to was, in fact, not a timeout at all. Rather, it was a coach’s challenge from the Miami staff, who was questioning a foul call against its defense.
This came after the Heat pulled to within 14 points.
Now, some would argue that the game was out of reach, but it’s worth noting that Miami was attempting to make one final push after starting the fourth quarter down by 32.
Secondly, replays showed that Caleb Martin was potentially pushed by a Celtics player, causing his momentum to carry him into Jayson Tatum just as he left his feet.
Despite holes in his narrative, Brian Scalabrine doubled down.
He appeared on the Dan Le Batard Show Monday to talk about the accusation against Erik Spoelstra. In doing so, he attempted to peddle the narrative to listeners while looking extremely foolish as he continuously moved the goalposts.
“I’m not saying that he said go run over Tatum and hurt him, I think he said to send a message…If you think that was not said, then I don’t think you guys buy in to Heat Culture…”
– Brian Scalabrine (@Scalabrine) stands on his “code red” remarks from Heat vs Celtics.
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) April 22, 2024
Scalabrine started by saying the Heat planted a seed before the start of the series, then double down on his implication that Erik Spoelstra ordered the takeout.
After receiving some pushback from hosts, he bizarrely brought Draymond Green into the equation in an attempt to compare Caleb Martin to the most controversial player in the NBA. And even then, that goalpost moved from the coach demanding the “Code Red” to a player doing something extracurricular on his own.
The entire conversation made Brian Scalabrine sound very silly, but it’s probably too late for him to change tune now!