The moment hit Hassan Whiteside two weeks ago, while amid routine personal hygiene.
"Basically," he said Thursday, "I woke up in the morning and I went to brush my teeth and I realized my hand was OK."
And then the emerging center realized it didn't matter.
There was nothing left to play for, that nasty 10-stitch gash sustained against the rim in a March 24 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks closing well after the playoff door slammed on the Miami Heat.
A month removed from their final game of the season, a trio of Heat players were back Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena, exactly where they wanted to be in mid-May.