Haslem more concerned with wins than stats

April 21, 2013|By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel, By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel

MIAMI — Udonis Haslem is past the point where numbers matter.

He knows the days of looking at his statistics after the game are a thing of the past. The focus now is on team success. It suits the 10-year veteran knowing his production is measured by intangible plays.

"We won 66 games this year," Haslem said. "Minutes don't matter. Point don't matter. Rebounds, those are all things people look at to say a player did good this year, a player did bad this year. You really can't look at those things with this team. You've got to look at the overall record and the way you produce as a unit."

The reality is this for Haslem: He's averaging career-lows in points (3.9) and minutes (18.9), and couldn't be happier long as the wins keep piling up. There was a question whether he would even start the postseason opener Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Coach Erik Spoelstra started Haslem ahead of Shane Battier, a move that may have surprised some.

Battier was a starter most of last year's playoffs while Haslem took the brunt of the criticism when the team struggled this season. Despite being the starter during the 27-game winning streak, there were questions if Haslem was on the decline.

Lost in it all was the fact Haslem shot 51 percent a year after posting the lowest field goal percentage (42 percent) of his career.

"I can do whatever I need to do," Haslem said. "People expect me to do what I've done in the past, and that's just not going to happen. It's not that type of team. It's not the role that I have. Some nights, I might get two shots. If I make one, that's 50 percent. If you want to judge me by numbers, then you're always going to have something to complain about. People that know the game of basketball understand that when you look at numbers, and you look at percentages and you look at rebounds per minute and things like that, I've done my job."

Guard Dwyane Wade said Haslem is just one of many to make a sacrifice for the better of the team. The newfound role is more appealing than the alternative of Haslem putting up bigger numbers elsewhere.

"Udonis wants to play all the time," Wade said. "If he was OK with it, it would be a problem. He's a professional. He understands that everyone has something they would love to do more. At times, it's frustrating for guys but Udonis doesn't want to be nowhere else or any other team."

Rotation could change

Even though Haslem started Sunday, Spoelstra said the starting lineup will almost certainly change throughout the postseason.

He did not rule out the possibility of Battier or other reserves becoming starters. Decision will be based on matchups.

"In the playoffs, nothing is set," Spoelstra said. "As much as you think it's set, it's not. It changes. That could change form quarter to quarter based on circumstances, foul trouble, guys going out with injury. It could change game to game."

Searching for quick starts

Falling behind was a common occurrence for the Heat during the regular season. Consider it one of the biggest concerns entering the playoffs.

The Heat rallied from four second-half, double-digit deficits during the 27-game winning streak, but say they would prefer to avoid moments as such.

"You want to dictate the momentum early," center Chris Bosh said. "In the playoffs, it's different. Usually in the regular season, we're falling behind because teams are bringing that intensity and we're playing catch-up. From the get go, we have to have that intensity early on. We shouldn't be playing from behind."

Too early for playoff glasses

Wade is part of the NBA trend of players wearing thick sunglasses without prescriptive lenses, especially during the playoffs. So, naturally, he was asked about the black pair he wore after the morning shootaround.

His response was surprising.

"Actually, these are prescription," Wade said. "Sometimes I put them on, especially when there's bright lights. I want to make sure my eyes are good."


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