Two wins over the Atlanta Hawks seemed to ease any frustration felt by Hassan Whiteside over playing time.

Whiteside calmed down in those wins by producing and then downplayed his anger.

Now Whiteside and the Heat attempt to get another win Friday night when they visit the New York Knicks.

Whiteside’s frustration with coach Erik Spoelstra’s strategy boiled over after Saturday’s 110-109 overtime home loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Whiteside played 20 minutes before he was rendered to the bench in the fourth quarter and overtime [url=http://www.ramscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-deacon-jones-jersey]Deacon Jones Jersey[/url] , and hardly shy during his expletive-filled postgame comments.

“Man, it’s annoying,” Whiteside told reporters after the game, which was his second game back from missing nine contests with a hip injury. “Why we matching up? We got one of the best centers in the league. Why we matching up? A lot of teams don’t have a good center. They’re going to use their strength.”

Whiteside calmed down two days later, and the Heat subsequently reeled off two more wins to clinch a postseason berth. Whiteside totaled 18 and 12 rebounds in Tuesday’s 101-98 home win over Atlanta and then grabbed 13 rebounds in Wednesday’s 115-96 rout at Atlanta.

“I was just frustrated, man,” Whiteside said. “I was frustrated that we lost. I really wanted to get that game. I could have handled it different. But I got so caught up in wanting to get that win. I get real competitive. I really want to be out there. But I just trust coach’s decision.”

The Heat handed New York a 119-98 loss in Miami on March 21 and things aren’t much better for the Knicks, who are finishing off their fourth straight 50-loss season.

New York might be without Enes Kanter, who totaled 23 and 13 rebounds in the last meeting. He has been held out for two games because of back and wrist injuries and his status is questionable.

Though not his desire.

“It doesn’t matter if we have one or two games left, 10 games left or whatever, you still want to go out there and fight with your teammates and battle with your teammates [url=http://www.bearscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-sam-acho-jersey]Sam Acho Jersey[/url] ,” Kanter told reporters Thursday. “It would be really selfish to think about opting in our opting out or thinking about my contract and not playing, giving up on my teammates and my team, it would be really selfish. For me, the Knicks are still paying me, I’m still part of this team. If I’m still healthy I’m just going to go out there and fight.”

Like Spoelstra, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has faced some internal strife within his team, though his status with the franchise is on far shakier ground than the Heat longtime coach.

With New York coming off a brutal 97-73 loss to the struggling Orlando Magic, New York’s fourth straight loss, Hornacek faced questions about whether his team quit on him in defeat.

“I think right at the end there,” Hornacek said after his team shot 35 percent and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter “That last four, five minutes. The season’s not over and we have a couple more home games. If they come out and shoot the ball like that [url=http://www.ramscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-rodger-saffold-jersey]Rodger Saffold Jersey[/url] , it’s going to be really ugly.”

It became contentious in the aftermath with Tim Hardaway Jr and Courtney Lee both voicing frustration, especially when Lee was asked about fans blaming Hornacek for New York’s 14th losing season in the last 17 years.

“For what injuries?” Lee told reporters. “For Tim having a stress fracture. For (Kristaps Porzingis) going down. How (can) you blame coach for that? That’s a question for you, can you answer that on the record?”

If it was up to Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James, his training camp debut would have happened before Thursday.

The Chargers decided to be cautious with their first-round draft pick as he recovered from a minor hamstring strain and delayed James’ first workout in pads.

”I feel like I was ready Monday, but you know it’s an ongoing process.” James said. ”You never know with those soft tissue injuries, so I know they got my back. They only want what’s best.”

James sustained the injury one week prior to the start of training camp while working out on his own, but there was no hint the former Florida State standout was limited in any way. During a position drill, James even joined his fellow defensive backs in an impromptu dance party.

In the team period, James was smooth and explosive in limited repetitions to earn praise from head coach Anthony Lynn.

”He looks good,” Lynn said. ”He looks good in his uniform. I mean, he’s a good-looking safety [url=http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-levine-toilolo-jersey]Levine Toilolo Jersey[/url] , but it’s just good to see him back out there because he had such a good offseason.”

The decision to be cautious with James was understandable after cornerback Jason Verrett sustained a torn Achilles tendon during a conditioning test last week before the start of training camp. Trevor Williams, a possible replacement for Verrett, sustained an ankle injury on Tuesday, but Lynn said it was not a high-ankle sprain and that Williams could return in a week.

James acknowledged some frustration at missing the start of his first training camp, but recognized why the Chargers would not want to risk having the injury linger into the regular season. Instead, he is focused on making the most of his time going forward.

”They know what I can do,” James said. ”They drafted me in the first round for a reason. Just really come out here and become a master of my craft, learn my movements and be where I’m supposed to be on the field.”

With James on the field, the Chargers can start to figure out their safety pairings in earnest. Tre Boston started 15 games last season, but was not re-signed in free agency. James was drafted No. 17 overall to fill that vacancy and play next to incumbent Jahleel Addae.

James is learning how to play as both a free safety and a strong safety right now, but Addae said differentiating between the two positions can be overblown in coordinator Gus Bradley’s 4-3 defense.

”Coach always says it best [url=http://www.ramscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-robert-woods-jersey]Robert Woods Jersey[/url] ,” Addae said. ”We don’t have no strong safety, we don’t have no free safety. We just have safeties. All of us are interchangeable.”

James credited Addae and the other Chargers defensive backs with helping him adjust quickly to the NFL.

”I sit right behind him in the meeting room and I try to pick his brain, and he don’t mind helping me,” James said. ”He’s a great guy. Adrian Phillips, he helps me. Our whole DB room and our coaches that we have are great people to be around, and they only want what’s best.”

Still, James compared the learning process to feeding a baby.

”They give me a little spoonful, and then I got to wait a little bit, and they give me some more,” James said.

NOTES: The Chargers signed receiver Marcus Peterson and cornerback Channing Stribling on Thursday after placing Verrett and tight end Austin Roberts (torn ACL) on injured reserve.

—

 [url=http://www.basketballofficialauthentic.com/nba-jerseys/orlando-magic/justin-jackson-jersey]Justin Jackson Jersey[/url] ,