Whiteside’s hand only limiting his hard dunks

AUBURN HILLS, MICH. — Based on Hassan Whiteside’s stats over the past few games, it doesn’t seem like his lacerated right hand is bothering him much.

I n t h e t wo g a me s t h e Heat’s center has played with the gash, he’s averaging 17.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

But look closely and you’ll see Whiteside is not throwing down his dunks as hard as usual. With 13 stitches between his right middle and ring fingers, he’s not looking to make the cut worse by applying force against the rim.

“When you got 13 stitches, man, I don’t think grabbing the rim and hanging on it when you weigh 270 is a good idea,” Whiteside said Sun- day. “I don’t want to experience that.

“It’s different. It makes things a little different. But I come out here and get the two points.”

Whiteside suffered the hand injury late in Tuesday’s victory over Phoenix when he went up to block a shot and got his hand caught on the backboard. The backboard pulled Whiteside’s fingers apart, creating the laceration.

Despite his right hand still being heavily bandaged and padded, Whiteside has not missed any time with the injury.

Whiteside missed three games with a similar injury when he needed 10 stitches in almost the same spot after slicing open his hand on the rim in a loss at Milwaukee on March 24, 2015.

“It’s a lot different,” White- side said of playing with his hand laceration. “But it’s something I have to deal with until it heals up. It is what it is. Nobody is going to feel sorry for me on the other team. I expect them to come out and compete like crazy.”

Heat ‘tend to like Frank Martin players’: Frank Martin’s players seem to fit with the Heat.

Just take a look at Udon i s Ha s l e m a n d Ro d n e y Mc G r u d e r. H a s l e m wa s coached by Martin at Miami High, and McGruder was coached by Martin at Kansas State.

“We tend to like Frank Martin players,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They have the type of grit and the DNA and the toughness that we like.”

That grit and toughness have become a big part of South Carolina’s identity on its incredible NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four. Martin, who is now the Gamecocks’ head coach, has helped lead South Carolina to its first-ever Final Four appearance.

South Carolina defeated Florida — Haslem’s alma mater — on Sunday to get to the Final Four. With obvious ties to both teams, Haslem said he was “very neutral” when watching the game.

“He’s just real. He brings it to you,” Haslem said when asked why Martin seems to always get the most out of his roster. “It’s not for everybody. Everybody can’t play for him, everybody can’t handle it. But if you allow him to be honest with you, then you’ll find yourself being a better person and better man. A lot of people don’t want to hear the truth. A lot of people hide from the truth, even in the NBA.”

Martin, a first generation Cuban-American who grew up in Miami, is known for his fiery coaching style. He gets in his players’ faces and stays on top of the referees during games.

But behind the scenes, Haslem said, Martin plays an important role for his players. He called Martin one of the most influential people in his life.

“You only come across a few people in your life that actually have an impact on your life for the rest of your life,” Haslem said. “Frank is one of those guys. It’s not just for me. I’ve seen what he’s done for other guys that I’ve played with. Kids in difficult situations at home, struggling academically, struggling socially.”

And it’s not a coincidence that Martin’s players — like Haslem and McGruder — usually turn into above-average defenders. Similar to the Heat, Martin emphasizes a defensive mentality. South Carolina ranks 15th nationally in field- goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 39.8 percent shooting this season.

“You can’t play for Frank if you can’t play defense and if you don’t play hard,” Haslem said. “I watch the way those guys from South Carolina go out there and they compete, and the level that they play at, and how physical they are. That’s the same thing [the Miami Heat] try to be. We try to be physical, we try to have a defensive mentality and be the most physical team.”