Udonis Haslem Calls Out Jayson Tatum For Making Negative Comments About The Heat

Tatum was interviewed at the TD Garden and commented on the victory celebration that the team had in Miami and said that it's always easy coming to Miami, Haslem did not take that too well.

Jun 7, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game three of the 2023 NBA Finals at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

When Udonis Haslem appeared on SportsCenter on Friday, he delivered a message to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

Earlier in the day, Tatum was asked by a Boston television host if the victory celebration trip to Miami was different than the hard-fought battles the Celtics and Heat had through the years, Tatum was quoted as saying that all trips to Miami are easy.

That did not sit well with Haslem.

"I think he's still drunk from the party," Haslem said. "He's gotta be a little tipsy from the party, there's no way he could believe that."

In reality, Haslem has no problem with Tatum talking the talk. The Celtics did earn the right after cruising through the playoffs before defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. It was the 18th title in Celtics history but the first for Tatum.

"It's OK, that's what he's supposed to say," Haslem said. "Congratulations to the Boston Celtics. I ain't gonna be no hater, we understand they're the champs. We're going to get fully healthy, then we'll see what happens,"

The Celtics and the Heat are perhaps the best rivalry in the league right now. They have met in the postseason four of the last five years, with each team winning twice. The Celtics defeated the Heat 4-1 in the first round of the most recent playoffs.

With both teams expecting to return the same lineups, it's likely they will have more chances to extend this rivalry.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Inside the Heat and can be reached at scottsalomon67@gmail,com.