Hassan Whiteside‘s postseason ended Tuesday night the same way it began: unhappily.
Whiteside told reporters that he simply wanted “a chance to fight” in the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Sixers, something Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t willing to offer.
Hassan Whiteside's closing statement: 'At least give me a chance' https://t.co/RmhsgiSOlY
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) April 25, 2018
The big fella had 10 minutes and 5 seconds of playing time in the Heat’s season-ending 104-91 Game 5 loss.
Per the Sun-Sentinel:
“It’s been a long year, man, up and downs, up and downs,” said the shot-blocking center, whose season ended Tuesday with two points and without a basket.
Asked specifically what stood as most frustrating, he went to the place he wasn’t allowed to go Tuesday, albeit while dealing with early foul trouble.
“Not being out there. Not being out there,” he said. “At least give me a chance to fight. 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.”
In a five-game series where 76ers center Joel Embiid eventually took flight, Whiteside said he felt grounded over the two weeks by coach Erik Spoelstra’s approach.
“It’s different, it’s definitely different,” he said of the freedom granted to Embiid. “But we played a style of play Coach wanted. He wanted to utilize more spacing I guess in the playoffs, so that’s why he did it.”
