Miami Heat: Hassan Whiteside Getting Revenge On Charlotte Hornets
The Miami Heat are reaping the benefits of the risk they took when signing Hassan Whiteside, as he takes his revenge out on the Charlotte Hornets team that passed him over.
The Miami Heat found a gem in the sand when they signed Hassan Whiteside last season. He has continued to grow under the tutelage of the Heat, as he has quickly become one of the best centers in the NBA. He controls the paint on both ends of the court, and can eliminate opponents easy chances with his defensive prowess.
But the Heat should consider themselves lucky because if it was up to Whiteside, he would be on the other sideline in this 2016 NBA Playoffs matchup.
Prior to signing with the Heat, Whiteside did everything he could to get a tryout with the Charlotte Hornets. Whiteside was training at local church courts and a YMCA in Charlotte at the time, and was looking for any way to get back into the NBA. He and his representatives tried multiple times to get his foot in the door with the Hornets, but they were just not interested.
More from Miami Heat
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Report: Miami Heat hoping to keep key player out of Lillard trade talks
- Grade the Trade: The Heat pass on Lillard to land an MVP in this proposal
- NBA Rumors: Heat have big plans to upgrade frontcourt if they land Lillard
“We tried several times. They didn’t want me. There’s nothing I can say about that. They said no several times, and we moved on to another team,” Whiteside told Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. Revenge is a great motivator sometimes, and it looks as if Whiteside is using that against the Hornets in the postseason.
Whiteside has been dominant against the Hornets thus far in his first two career playoff games. The Heat are setting scoring records with back-to-back 115+ point games, which Whiteside has helped make happen. But he has also made his presence felt on defense and on the boards despite so many shots going in.
Whiteside has recorded a double-double in both games thus far, as the Hornets just have no answer for him on the inside. In Game 1, Whiteside scored 21 points, going 9-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from the foul line, adding 11 rebounds, three of which were of the offensive variety.
He made an impact on defense as well, recording two steals and three blocks. He stuffed the stat sheet, and managed to do it in a relatively short amount of time as he played only 26 minutes in Game 1.
In Game 2 it was much of the same for Whiteside. He played 30 minutes this time, yet managed to step up his efficiency. Whiteside didn’t miss a shot in the game, going 8-for-8 from the field and knocking down his one free throw attempt for 17 points. Once again he dominated the paint, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.
He even added an assist this time around, an area that has been a punchline for jokes at times this season. Once again Whiteside made his presence felt on defense, recording one steal and two blocks.
“I just get satisfaction of us winning. I come out here and play the best I can and showcase that I can play basketball in this league,” Whiteside told Lieser when asked about getting satisfaction out of revenge against teams that passed him over last year.
The Hornets would agree that he’s doing so, as Whiteside has destroyed them through two games, and there doesn’t look to be anything stopping him for the rest of the series.
More hoops habit: 2016 NBA Playoffs: The Deciding Factor In Each First Round Series
“Nah. Revenge never gets old. I didn’t say that. There’s always a day for revenge,” Whiteside also added. The Heat are hoping that it doesn’t get old, as a motivated Whiteside has proven to be extremely difficult to slow down, something the Hornets are currently witnessing first hand.