Cartier Martin beams about his game-tying shot

Sean will have a full post-game recap, with quotes, later, but I just wanted to share this touching moment from the post-game locker room scene.

We're all standing around, waiting to talk to Cartier Martin about his game-tying shot.  Martin and John Wall, who have lockers next to each other, emerge from the training room within a couple of minutes of each other.  They eventually engage in small talk, laughing and chuckling like teammates do.  Then, Martin looked over his shoulder, turned to Wall, and had a surprised look on his face.

"They're all waiting for me?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Wall said. "I go outside," he said, referencing the fact that the Wizards pull him into the interview room instead of having him interview by his locker.

"Damn," Martin said.  

"Hey man, you hit a big shot," Wall responded, with a smile on his face as he let out a high-pitch noise like a little kid.

It was a great moment that tells you everything you need to know about Cartier Martin (and John Wall for that matter).  He's such an easy guy to root for, and he's worked so hard to get to this point.  You couldn't help but smile for him that, for once, the media wanted to talk to him.

"This is probably one of the biggest shots I've ever made in my life, just for the simple fact that this is the big leagues," he said. "Opening night here, lots of fans came out and supported us tonight, so it was big that we got this win. It was the biggest shot of my [career]."

Martin said he tried to shoot quickly because he figured the 76ers would foul him, and even said he thought he got fouled on the play.  He credited his NBA D-League experience for preparing him for this moment, saying "you're taught to be mentally prepared for situations like this."  Finally, when asked what was going through his head at the time of the shot, he had just one thing to say.

"Once I got it up, I knew it would go in."