Miami Heat's Caleb Martin Has Potential To Be The X-Factor In Series Against Boston Celtics

Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin could be the difference between a first-round exit in the Eastern Conference playoffs and pulling off another big upset.

Martin had 21 points in Wednesday's victory against the top-seeded Boston Celtics, The performance was so impactful that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stopped just short of calling Martin the most important player in the series.

"He's a competitor," Spoelstra said. "He's the ultimate X-factor. That doesn't always mean he's going to score as many points as he did [Wednesday]. He's the X-factor of X-factors." 

The Heat are down two of their top scorers in Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. Butler is sidelined with a sprained knee while Rozier is dealing with neck spasms. There is no timetable on when, or if, either returns during the playoffs.

That means Martin will have more opportunities.

Being passive for my team only hurts us, especially when guys are down," Martin said. "Having the mental stability and the confidence to play through slumps or play through bad possessions or a loss, I think it's so big, especially in the playoffs, to have a short-term memory. 

The Heat have put their hopes in center Bam Adebayo and guard Tyler Herro but they need production from the supporting cast to make up for the absences of Rozier and Butler. Martin is known for having big games against the Celtics. Last year he averaged 19.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the Eastern Conference finals.

While Martin is being more aggressive, he said he wants his shots to come within the offense.

"It definitely goes both ways because you want to take good shots," Martin said. "We're all smart basketball players so we're going to take the ones that are there. You play into their game plan if you hesitate to shoot."