Miami Heat: Sunset Vice helping to get the team back on track

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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 26: Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat looks on during the game against the Toronto Raptors on December 26, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Blockside

With 10 points (71 percent) and four rebounds in the first quarter, Hassan Whiteside devoured his matchup Serge Ibaka in the paint.

It’s rare you see Ibaka get taken advantage, let alone targeted on defense. Newly minted starting point guard Justise Winslow dimed Whiteside up on the first play of the game, and he missed a layup with his foot on the restricted circle.

Heat fans had to have been shaking their head’s during that one.

I said out loud, “Oh boy here we go,” but my concerns were silenced throughout the rest of the half.

Sunset luck kicked in, and the Heat were off to the races.

Whiteside finished the half with 12 points, 10 boards, and three blocks. The 7-foot big man was everywhere with active hands, and not just on defense. These hands were in it to win it, catching a variety of dump offs, lobs for dunks, and shovel passes in traffic to get his buckets.

Compared to his usual blunders due to lack of touch, he must have cast an enchanted spell on his hands. Capped off by a spinning drive to lane followed by a ferocious one-handed slam through contact, those in AmericanAirlines Arena, as well as those at home, knew they were in for a treat.

In the end, he totaled 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, one assist and three blocks, all in 31 minutes of play. Numbers that are closer to what he was averaging in his so-called prime (2016-17), than his current 13.3 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game.

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