It only takes a few words to start a beef and Hassan Whiteside’s pre-game comments on DeAndre Jordan’s game, gave Friday Night’s HEAT-Clippers match-up a little extra flavor. On Thursday, Whiteside was asked if his skill set was similar to DeAndre Jordan’s and Hassan seemed to refute that notion with this quote he gave to the Miami Herald.
“He catches lobs. I shoot jumpers, catch lobs, block shots. I do a lot. He just catches lobs.”
Whiteside later clarified his comments before the game to Ira Winderman, calling them misconstrued and went on to heap praise on Jordan while calling him a friend.
“Definitely misconstrued,” “First, I would never diss another big fella. I’m all for the big guys in the game. I was just saying on the offensive end, our roles are different. Obviously, he’s a top-three rebounder and one of the best defensive players in the game. I didn’t think I had to explain that, but I see I do. Quote me on that.”
Jordan responded to Whiteside’s comments before Friday’s game as well, touting the accomplishments his style of play has produced.
DJ on Whiteside saying all he does is catch lobs – "Made First Team All NBA and Defense doing that"
— Rowan Kavner (@RowanKavner) December 16, 2016
And with that response, a mini-beef was born and the stage was set for a showdown between two of the most dominant big men in the NBA. During warmups, I noticed Jordan had an extra bounce to his step, as he eagerly awaited the start of the game. Once the game started, Blake Griffin immediately tried to feed Jordan on the first play of the game, signaling that his teammates were well aware of Hassan’s comments.
The two big men both had nice production, with Jordan collecting 12 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 blocks, compared to Whiteside’s 11 points, 17 rebounds, and 1 block. Their match-up was essentially a stalemate, which is what drew the comparisons in the first place, but Hassan struggled with foul trouble as the HEAT fell into an early hole, and several fouls were drawn by Jordan.
Whiteside and the HEAT did a good job keeping Jordan off of the offensive glass, holding him to only two offensive rebounds through three quarters, but ironically it was Jordan’s third offensive rebound and score with Whiteside on the bench that ended up sealing the HEAT’s fate. The Clippers clinched a 102-98 victory with Jordan’s put back score with 7 seconds left.
It was another close, tough loss for the HEAT who played well enough to win, but a combination of poor free throw shooting and poor bench play in the 2nd quarter, made the hill too high to climb. Jordan’s late basket as Whiteside watched from the bench, only added insult to injury.
After the game, Jordan touched on if Whiteside’s comments gave him extra motivation.
DeAndre Jordan got the last word with his late shot to seal the Clippers victory, and as he was leaving the locker room he made a point aloud that everyone heard. He wanted us to know that he is the big bad wolf of centers and Whiteside is just a sheep.