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Heat’s Udonis Haslem pauses to appreciate playoff run ahead of retirement

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·3 min read
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BOSTON — Last time, it almost snuck up on him, and, no, it was not a moment he was prepared for.

Monday, as he exited the Miami Heat’s morning shootaround at TD Garden, Udonis Haslem found himself at the same intersection again, win or go home . . . for the final time in a 20-year NBA career spent entirely with the Heat.

Having announced before the start of 2022-23 that this would be his last season, the Heat’s 42-year-old team captain almost saw it end ignominiously, with the Heat trailing late in the fourth quarter of their winner-take-all April 14 play-in game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Heat won that game and set themselves on a course for six weeks of playoff basketball, delivering them to Monday’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

From the start of his retirement deliberations, Haslem said he wanted to go out in games with meaning, even if only as a supporter from the bench. He found that and more since the play-in round.

“I mean it’s been up and down,” the veteran power forward said of the Heat’s playoff run, the eighth time he has been to the conference finals. “I’ve gone up and down with the games and with the wins and the losses.”

Making sure to savor, live in the moment, the final moments.

“I really haven’t had time to think about my journey,” he said, “because I’ve been living and dying with every win and loss, like I’ve always done in the playoffs.”

The role used to be as a starter or key reserve. During this career endgame, it has been mop-up duty, all while making sure to grow what will come next for the franchise that took a chance on him in 2003 as an undrafted prospect coming off a season in France.

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“Obviously you want to go as far as you can,” he said. “I’ve gotten an extra three rounds, so I’m thankful for that.”

Clear minds

The Heat insisted at Monday morning’s shootaround that they had moved on from Saturday’s devastating Game 6 loss at Kaseya Center, when Celtics guard Derrick White scored the winning points on a putback layup with one-tenth of a second to play.

“By the next day,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Everybody was fine. We have great mental stability with our group.

“We’ve had a lot of experiences, unfortunately, with those kinds of losses.”

Just another hurdle in a season of hurdles, guard Max Strus said.

“We’ve all been through a lot to get where we are,” he said.

With the key, guard Gabe Vincent said, remaining grounded.

“Just be where your feet are,” he said, “and enjoy the moment.”

Vincent, though, said the hours between shootaround and tipoff are never easy amid playoff scheduling.

“I mean these 8:30 games are tough, just waiting to play, waiting to play,” he said, “especially in the manner we lost Game 6.”

Working at it

Even with the Heat facing elimination, guard Tyler Herro went through an extensive workout with assistant coach Chris Quinn following Monday morning’s shootaround.

Herro’s session included ample ballhandling and shooting with the right hand he broke on April 16 in the first half of the Heat’s first playoff again, while diving for a loose ball against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Herro’s timetable since his ensuing surgery was a return no earlier than the NBA Finals. He has traveled with the team throughout the postseason, unlike guard Victor Oladipo, who has remained in Miami following April 27 surgery for the torn patellar tendon in his left knee sustained in the Heat’s third playoff game. Oladipo is expected to be sidelined from basketball activity for several months.