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The veteran is known for his gritty style and commitment, and that is what drove him to return from injury midway through the playoffs. The result was that Haslem didn’t heal properly and faced another layoff after the season. However the forward says that he doesn’t regret his decision at all.

Haslem ruptured a ligament in his left foot last November. He subsequently faced a very lengthy time out for the Heat, missing a total of 69 games in the regular season. His recovery though still needed more time, but Haslem wasn’t prepared to wait that long.

During the playoffs, the forward entered the arena once more to help out the Heat just when they were looking stretched.

Miami had built an NBA title charge on the broad shoulders of their Big Three; LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. However as the post season went on, it became clear that even those three mammoths needed some assistance. The Heat were especially vulnerable in the post, and considering that they were going up against classy forward Dirk Nowitzki in the NBA Finals, Haslem had no choice than to speed up his comeback.

Udonis returned and gave the Heat a big boost, initially coming off the bench for cameos and later getting very solid minutes as he toiled on defence for the team. In the end though it wasn’t enough to stop the Mavericks, or Nowitzki, and Miami ended up on the losing side.

Some might say that Haslem’s aggravated his injury for nothing, but that’s not how the forward views it. Haslem revealed in the interview that those are the moments you live for as a basketball player, to compete at the business end, to play in the biggest games. He didn’t regret all the pain he suffered one bit.

"That's the price you pay," Haslem said in a social gathering to benefit a children’s foundation. "I don't regret it at all. If I had another chance to do it, I'd do it again. I understood it was going to set me back. That was understood. That was strictly my choice."