“Flow of the game”
After Jefferson got off to his hot start, Erik Spoelstra made an early lineup adjustment by yanking Whiteside and replacing him with veteran Udonis Haslem. It was enough to slow down Jefferson and lead to questions on Twitter about what the heck is going on with Whiteside.
After the game, Spoelstra commented on why Whiteside played just 20 minutes.
Spoelstra says Whiteside's low playing time (20 min.) was merely a product of matchups and "flow of the game."
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) October 29, 2015
I buy it. Look, Whiteside wasn’t playing well and needed to come out. Babying him isn’t going to accomplish anything.
Plus, Miami played small for a good portion of the game. Spo used the likes of Deng and Winslow as his forwards, and three-guard lineups with Gerald Green as well. That was enough to take advantage of the Hornets loose perimeter defense. It was the right matchup to play.
The Heat got the win and that’s what’s most important every game. Not Whiteside’s feelings. To his credit, Whiteside took it in stride, making a much bigger impact once he got back in the game.
Next: Nothing jumps out at you except the scoreboard