A few weeks ago, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside vented about his playing time. He was unhappy that coach Erik Spoelstra would sit him on the bench when other teams went small.
He later walked back those comments, saying he trusted Spoelstra. With the Heat’s season having come to an end Tuesday, however, Whiteside again aired his frustration.
Hassan Whiteside clearly frustrated he only got to play 10 minutes in Game 5: "At least give me a chance to fight. I can understand if I was playing 30 minutes and I played bad. At least give me a chance."
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) April 25, 2018
Whiteside played only 10 minutes in Game Five. Philadelphia came away with a 104-91 win thanks to a strong third quarter. The Heat center struggled in his limited minutes. He picked up three fouls and shot 0 for 4 from the field.
Whiteside barely saw the floor in the first-round showdown. In the regular season he averaged 25.3 minutes per game. In the playoffs, however, he played only 15.4 per game.
Whiteside Under Fire
TNT analyst and all-time great big man Shaquille O’Neal recently chastised Whiteside’s effort.
Shaq’s analysis of Hassan Whiteside 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/oLSmrNiZy1
— Marshall Ferguson (@TSN_Marsh) April 21, 2018
The series had fans reacting strongly — perhaps overreacting — about Whiteside’s future.
HASSAN WHITESIDE IS KWAME BROWN WITH CUSTOMIZED LEBRONS ON.
— April’s Very Own (@CoryTownes) April 20, 2018
me if pat riley doesn’t trade hassan whiteside by the end of this offseason pic.twitter.com/BPoV3pBivT
— ryan 🅥 (@eIitetweeter) April 20, 2018
Sixers big man Joel Embiid, meanwhile, had a great series. In Game Five he posted 19 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes.
J.J. Redick poured in 27 points to lead the Sixers in Game Five.
Philly advanced to play the winner of Boston-Milwaukee in the second round. The Celtics took a 3-2 lead in that series Tuesday night. They’ll have a chance to seal the series win Thursday at 8 p.m. in a game aired on TNT.
