BOSTON — As each 3-pointer went down, Celtics fans could again only watch as Caleb Martin torched them from behind the arc. The C’s lost to the 76ers on Christmas Day at TD Garden, and Martin again had his fingerprints all over the win.
It was a similar scene as the 2023 East Finals, when Martin, then with the Heat, became a Celtics nemesis in that series. This time, it was a 23-point performance as Martin knocked in a career-high seven 3-pointers. Tyrese Maxey called him the “undertaker.” Former MVP Joel Embiid, whose feelings about the Celtics are well-known, credited Martin after the win.
“He’s playing against Boston,” Embiid said. “He hates them as much as I do. So I guess I’ll take it. No, but it was great. I like when he’s not thinking about it and tonight, he was just not thinking about it. Seeing every time he has the ball, shoot or drive and we see he made his shots. We need him to keep doing that and keep building our confidence.”
Martin got multiple open looks throughout the night, though there was also some fortune in the 3s. He banked-in one of his four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, where his 12 points in the frame were huge to help the Sixers to victory. Martin signed with the 76ers on a four-year deal over the offseason and he got immediately to work being a problem for the C’s.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown said postgame they were comfortable with Martin taking those shots — that was the game plan, after all. The Sixers employ multiple threats offensively, whether that’s Embiid, who had 27 points, or Maxey, who got to the rim at will on his way to 33 points. The issue, of course, is that Martin kept converting those looks from 3.
“It’s coverage, too,” Martin said. “It’s me going into the game knowing what I’m going to be looking at. Like, I know how they’re going to go and to guard me. I know who’s going to be guarding me. I know what shots I’m going to have, and I have to take those no matter what.”
Celtics fans are familiar with Martin catching fire from deep even though he’s a career 35.3% 3-point shooter. In the 2023 East Finals, Martin averaged 19.3 points, shooting 48.9% from behind the arc. He was a huge reason why the No. 8-seeded Heat stunned the Celtics in the seven-game series. Martin nearly won the East Finals MVP award, falling one vote short to Jimmy Butler.
But the C’s were still alright with Martin bombing away those open looks Wednesday. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pointed out it’s a catch-22 situation with the Sixers, where they force teams to choose which offensive threat to neutralize. Martin, a role player, was the beneficiary of his star teammates helping him get open looks, which he promptly knocked down throughout the night. So the math didn’t work out in the Celtics’ favor — and it just so happened to be against a foe who brings back some sour memories.
“Anytime you can develop some type of whatever it is in this league,” Martin said, “obviously that means people notice and other people from that team don’t like you, which is always a good feeling, too. It’s fun. Good feeling.”
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