Caleb Martin x Bam Adebayo React To Heat's Game 7 vs Celtics | 2023 ECF

Bam, if there was one constant this season, it probably was never losing faith, even when there were a lot of moments when it might have been easy to lose that faith. What's it like from up 3-0 to 3-3 to come into a game like this and to wind up back in the NBA Finals? I mean, we never thought it'd be easy, going through these playoffs, going through this season, up and down, good, bad, through the adversity. Nobody let go of the rope. So, biggest thing for us, man, I'm happy my teammates played the way they did. Caleb definitely made a name for himself. And obviously, Jimmy's being Jimmy. So, the biggest thing for us is just keep going. You mentioned Caleb, but he came just a couple votes away from winning the MVP trophy tonight. What did he mean throughout the series for you guys, especially on the offensive end, where he seemed to have a shot or a drive or a three for every Boston push? He's, like I said, man, a lot of people don't see the work that Caleb put in. I mean, y'all see it now, because he's playing out of his mind. But, you know, after that Game 7 loss, it's not my mom, it's not my mom, it's not my mom. After that Game 7 loss, you know, I feel like he made it a necessary effort to really come back and be like, I'm going to be a reason why we win a series or be a reason why we win big games. And he showed that throughout this whole series. And I'm truly proud of him. One, he's from North Carolina. So, just representing North Carolina is a good thing for us. But also, man, he gets the opportunity to, one, win a East Conference Championship. And two, he gets to play in his first finals. Payton, we got a couple for you. First off, why was that belief after Game 6 and the way it ended so strong internally? I mean, going into this series, we thought it was going to Game 7 anyway. But, you know, things work out different. Stuff happens, and then we end up in the Game 7. Like, you know, everybody thought it was going to happen. Biggest thing for us, you know, I feel like we never quit just because that's who we are. You know, everybody has a story, a background of, you know, going through certain situations, certain ups and downs in their lives, and still pushing through and getting the opportunity. And, you know, you look at our roster, and there's a lot of guys on our roster that's pushed through to make their self have a great opportunity. And looking ahead, obviously, it's going to take everybody lifting up their own games. But what, in your mind, is the key to slowing down Jokic? I mean, making him take tough shots. And, you know, biggest thing for us is try to limit his assists. It sounds easier said than done, but biggest thing for us is, you know, watching film and figuring that out. Bam, what is your favorite trait about this team, this year's team? What do you like most about it? Favorite trait? Man, it's that underdog mentality, man. I know we say it. I know people think it's a joke, but when you go through what we went through this whole season, ups and downs, people talking good and bad about us, writing us off, you know, hearing all that noise, and to be four games away from a championship, you know, it just speaks volume to, one, we never quit, and two, everybody rallied together. Bam, you guys went three out of the four games in this building. What was it about playing on the road that seemed to bring the best out of you guys in this series? We've been the A seed all playoffs, so, you know, you have to wheel wins in other buildings, and, you know, the biggest thing for us, we always stay together when it matters most, and just being together, being in those moments where back's against the wall and everybody going against you, you know, I feel like that's one that brings out the best in us. Is it extra sweeter this way, to be able to accomplish it on the road, in the building, especially what happened after last season, too? Yeah. You know, I wish we didn't go to a game seven, but, you know, that's the way the script was written, so the biggest thing for us, man, we took an opportunity and really cherished it and pushed through and made our way. Black Lives Matter, people. Caleb, you guys have said all year that you guys do things the hard way, nothing's been easy for this team. For you guys to bounce back from what happened in game six to win this one and make it to the NBA finals, I mean, what does this say about just the collective resolve of this group? I mean, I think it just sheds a lot of light on, you know, how resilient our group is, how mentally engaged that we are, no matter, and how positive we are mentally, you know, no matter how the season's been going, and we've been, like I said, we've been talking about how the regular season's been preparing us for these moments, and I mean, I just think it comes full circle. Caleb, you've made mention over the past couple years multiple times to the way you played in college. What was it about this series that, I mean, we've seen glimpses of it, but it finally feels like you tapped into that version of yourself. It just, you know, it feels good. I mean, I feel like, you know, that type of style never leaves you. I feel like, you know, I knew it was gonna come out at some point. It's just, you know, it's just a great feeling that it came out during a game seven on a roll like this. But it just shows you that, you know, what I'm capable of, and I just wanna continue to stay locked in, and, you know, I knew how they were gonna guard me through this series, and I just wanna take advantage of that. Hey, Caleb, a lot of your teammates have mentioned the work that you've put in behind the scenes, you know, off the court, in the weight room, those things. Where does that part of your competitive edge come from? It gets me better, man. There's a ton of credit to the organization in getting me ready for these moments, and I do a lot of prep with my coaches and my trainer, and, you know, to get me ready for these moments, and like I said, it's super high-level competition, man. You can't hide it, and, you know, you figure out if you're built for these type of environments or you're not whenever you get into them, and I just feel like I've, you know, just been continuously prepping and getting ready for these moments, and when these moments come, I'm ready for them, so I feel like I'm built for these type of moments, and I'm just gonna continue to try to get better and feed off, you know, guys like Jimmy and Bam, and they lead the way, and we're just trying to follow, so. Caleb, in a moment like this, going to the finals and playing as well as you did, do you reflect at all on your personal journey from, you know, the undrafted, the G League stuff, and to even this year, like, you took the place of P.J., which is another big thing, so what are your reflections in this moment? Kind of a little bit of everything. You reflect on, you know, kind of, I definitely reflect on where I started and the journey it's taken to get here, and, you know, even as early as the two-way last year, but I think more than anything, it's kind of a weird feeling, because I just, I'm also understanding that as happy as I am, as grateful I am to be here, I also understand that, like, we have four more, like, the job's not done, we didn't go through all we went through all regular season, and my personal journey to stop here, you know, so we're trying to get what we came here to get, so we got four more. Caleb, hopefully this isn't too redundant, but 365 days ago, you did not play a minute in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, so within that span, especially last summer, what changed within you, what did you do to, you know, build back up your confidence in yourself and be prepared for a moment like this? I just, I think as soon as we got done with the New York series, I was, I felt like I instantly got, I felt, you know, kind of disrespected just off how I got guarded last year, and I definitely just wanted to take a, you know, it was, I guess it was like a sense of pride, or just, I think a sense of just understanding how they were gonna guard me, and they were gonna make me have to earn their respect, which, you know, I totally understand, and I just kind of wanted to make my, you know, come in knowing I had to leave my mark on this series, and understand I was gonna be the guy that had to prove himself in order to contribute and change their schemes, or whatever it is, so I just, you know, I just wanted to make sure I came in and to contribute any way I could to make sure that I was being able to move the needle to get to the finals. Caleb, what was the mood with the team like yesterday when you guys got together, picking yourselves up after game six? I think that we were, I think we were positive. You know, I never, I think it was a good sign for me, for me, at least for me personally, just kind of seeing the mood and, you know, just the headspace guys were in after that game. I truly think that we believed that we were gonna come here and get a win, and like we said, with AC coming in on the road, and everybody's counting us out, and I think that's kind of when we work our best, is with our back against the walls. That's kind of been the story of everybody individually, and even as an organization, so I feel like you just kind of put us, you know, right where we've always felt like we've been, and I felt like we were very comfortable in that type of environment. Anybody else? Yeah, appreciate y'all.