Hawks-Heat: Soaring Hawks Must Stay Grounded In Game Two

Hopefully, Mike Woodson and his coaching staff have been able to bring the soaring Hawks back down to Earth after Sunday’s big win. 

The city of Atlanta is buzzing about this team and the danger is that there is a chance the team just shows up and expects to beat the Heat again.

Some people are even talking about a sweep, which is ridiculous. The Hawks need to understand that they are going to face a much different Miami Heat team on Wednesday night in Game Two. 

For starters, the Heat’s young players will come out with a better idea of what it takes to compete in the playoffs and of the noise level in Philips Arena. Last year, a veteran team like the Celtics was rattled in the Hawks home arena, so the Heat’s struggles were not unprecedented. Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, and company should all play better on Wednesday night.

Secondly, Dwayne Wade clearly was rusty from his week-long layoff to end the regular season. The Hawks defense has done a solid job on Wade all season, but he did not play up to his normal standards. 

I like the way the Hawks' forwards helped Joe and Mo Evans by challenging every one of Wade’s attempts early in the game. 

Undoubtedly, Wade is going to be on a mission in Game Two. 

The Heat need to run more screen and roll's on the wing to get Wade more space to operate. If he cannot get his own shot, he can get to the middle of the floor and create for a teammate. James Jones and Daquean Cook need to play more minutes on the wings with Wade at the point guard spot.

I also see Coach Spoelstra running some zipper cut plays to get Wade the ball at the top of the floor. I would actually not bring the screen in this case and just let Wade work one on one. The Heat could flatten out their offense to a 1-4 low set with three-point shooters in the corners. 

Mostly, I am worried about Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.  Smith took another tough charge on Sunday. J-Smoove and Marvin played great and received a ton of accolades.  These guys have to keep up their intensity and smart play. 

Does the hype over the past two days translate into Smith taking bad shots tomorrow night? 

Or playing soft on dribble penetration?  I hope not. 

Defensively, the Heat have to slow down the pace of the game. I see the Heat playing more zone defense against the Hawks. If you play zone, you can play a smaller lineup with Jermaine O’Neal in the middle of the zone. 

To play zone, the Heat have to rebound better. The Hawks’ zone offense has not been impressive this year, but they do have guys that make open three-point shots.

Finally, the best feature of the Hawks’ win on Sunday was their unselfish play on the offensive end of the floor. The Hawks were very focused on offensive. The ball movement and player movement reminded me of that great stretch of home wins in December.

Clearly, Coach Woodson had a game plan to attack the Miami Heat inside. Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza had opportunities in the paint early in the game. Getting alley-oop dunks, easy post scores, and offensive rebound put backs opened up the outside shooting and driving lanes for the Hawks perimeter players.

The Hawks have to stick to their game plan offensively. Defensively, they need to be ready for an all out assault from D-Wade.

Wade might take over 30 shots in this game. 

The Hawks' defense on Wade is the key. If Wade responds with an all-around monster game, the Hawks are in trouble and the Heat can steal a game at the Highlight Factory.