Miami Heat: Caleb Martin scuffle a testament to team’s toughness

After starting out the season 0-2, the Miami Heat finally earned their first win against the Toronto Raptors. The Heat held on to the lead they built in the first half of the game.

They looked in sync offensively and did a great job holding Toronto’s stars to low-scoring games. The game ended with a final score of 112-109.

Although the Heat displayed their domination and skill as a team in the first half, the second half, perhaps, revealed more about the Heat. The game got a little feisty, to say the least.

A few minutes before the incident, Kyle Lowry was called for a questionable transition take foul. Lowry continued barking at the officials and picked up a technical foul.

This might have not been too serious, especially since the Heat were up by about 20 points at the time. However, it may have riled up Miami for what would come later.

In a Miami Heat victory against the Toronto Raptors, Caleb Martin got into a passionate scuffle. That grit is what makes the ‘Heat Culture’ what it is.

Later on, Caleb Martin got tangled up with Raptors’ Christian Koloko after both were chasing a loose ball. Koloko grabbed Martin, who obliged and proceeded to tackle Koloko.

The two players went crashing into empty seats on the baseline. Both players were ejected from the game.

It was definitely an energizing moment. Unfortunately for the Miami Heat, the energy went to the Raptors, who desperately needed it to climb back into the game.

The Raptors went on a huge run and made the game interesting at the end, but the Heat were able to hold on to their lead and win the game. Once again though, a Miami Heat player displayed his grittiness and toughness.

Tyler Herro said it best in his post-game interview:

"“That’s who we are.”"

The Heat revel in the aggressive action that takes place during the games. The whole squad, from top to bottom, is ready for some action.

They do not back down from any challenge. This game served as yet another confirmation of the Heat Culture identity.

And let’s be clear, it’s not about fighting or “being dirty”. It’s about letting the opposition know that you won’t back down and aren’t afraid.

That’s the point.

Now, from a pure basketball perspective, the Heat need to do a better job of holding on to their leads and not letting any scuffle affect their job on the court. They have plenty of time to work on that during the season though but for now, they will take the win.