Haslem takes first steps back

Udonis Haslem’s wait came to an end Monday as the Heat forward made his long-awaited return from a November foot injury in the Game 4 win at Boston.

Haslem had said he felt good enough to come back last week but was just waiting on clearance. He would have come in handy for the Heat earlier in this series because of the physical nature of his play.

“I wasn’t expecting to get a lot of minutes, but I wasn’t expecting it to go like that,’’ said Haslem, who logged only three minutes in the game. “Coach said impact the game, so I guess I did that.

“I was a little anxious. It’s been a long time. This was the longest I’ve ever been away from the game, so I was anxious. I wouldn’t call it nervous, just anxious.’’

He felt rusty, he said, because there was nothing he could have done during practice to prepare him for the pace of a game. The most glaring sign of that rust was his only shot, which was an air ball.

“I can’t remember the last time I missed a shot like that — wide open, and I didn’t even hit the rim,’’ Haslem said. “I would say there’s probably a little rust still, but I’ll work through it.’’

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said three minutes wasn’t enough to gauge Haslem, but his presence would go a long way.

“He’s a different individual, and we don’t need him to be, necessarily, the player he’s always been all the other years,’’ Spoelstra said. “We just need him to give us his leadership, his voice, and be there with the guys and when his number is called, to be productive from an effort standpoint.’’