Whiteside disappointed by Heat fans' jeers in Miami return

With Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside back in his old stomping grounds for the first time, the big man was not entirely appreciative of his mixed reception from Miami Heat fans.

"I'm a little disappointed with how the fans reacted, but it is what it is," Whiteside said postgame, according to the Miami Herald's David Wilson. "There was cheers, too. It wasn't all boos. I made playoff runs here. I put my heart here. It wasn’t all boos, so you can’t really say nothing about the fans."

At various points in the game - a 122-111 victory for Miami - local fans chanted "We got shooters," mocking a comment Whiteside made in an Instagram video immediately after news of his trade to Portland broke this summer.

Recalling his thought process at the time, Whiteside claimed his words had more to do with his new teammates rather than a shot at his old colleagues.

"I don’t understand that. I just said, 'We got shooters.' That’s congratulating my team," he added. "I didn’t say none of (the Heat) guys can shoot. Like, me and Goran (Dragic) talk. We're all cool. Them guys are phenomenal shooters.

"I never really understood that. I don’t really realize why they feel like it was like a diss toward them, like when I still text Bam (Adebayo), I still talk to (now-Philadelphia 76ers guard Josh Richardson), I still talk to (Derrick) Jones. They’re my brothers. I would never diss them or talk bad about them in no way, shape or form."

For his part, Whiteside was actually one of his team's better shooters Sunday night. The 30-year-old shot 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line for 21 points to go along with 18 rebounds and a pair of blocks.