Even Bill Simmons thinks Celtics fans are being ridiculous about Jayson Tatum play

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, with 1:30 left to go in the game, the Miami Heat were down by 16. Erik Spoelstra challenged a shooting foul on Delon Wright. Ultimately, the call on the floor stood, and the Heat were charged with a timeout.

30 seconds later, Jayson Tatum goes up for a defensive rebound. Caleb Martin goes up for the same ball and, inadvertently, takes out Jayson Tatum's legs in the process. This was a play that Boston Celtics fans really responded to, to say the least. 

Brain Scalabrine, a former Boston Celtic and color commentator for NBC Sports Boston, pointed out the Miami Heat's strange series of events. "Why is he calling a timeout in that spot, and why is that play happening right after?" Scalabrine asked live. In fact, Scalabrine called for Martin's suspension right then and there, saying, "That looked shady to me. I think Martin should get suspended for that." 

Per @NBCSCeltics on Twitter/X:

After last year's Eastern Conference Finals battle, there's not a lot of love lost between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, and that's understandable. Here's the thing though, Boston, it isn't always about you. Everyone is not out to get you, okay? You wanna suspend Caleb Martin for going up for a rebound? Do you guys hear yourselves? This is basketball. Playoff basketball, at that. To claim that Miami was trying to willingly injure Tatum is just false. On top of that, It's also a dangerous narrative to create.

Even Bill Simmons thinks Celtics fans are being ridiculous about Jayson Tatum play

Bill Simmons, a longtime Celtics fan, reacted to Caleb Martin's 'dirty' play on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “I thought he got shoved from behind by Jrue Holiday, which everyone missed that part," Simmons said. If you look closely, Holiday does slightly nudge Martin towards the rim, causing him to lose his balance and crash into Tatum.

Per @wopeshii__ on Twitter/X:

Look, Tatum is 6-foot-8, while Martin is 6-foot-5. Throw in a little encouragement from Holiday via shove and you've got yourself a recipe for an on-court spill. Having said that, let's stop talking about 'Code-Red' and quit it with this magnifying glass on 'Miami Heat Culture', because that's just physics. Nothing more to it.