Hawks-Heat matchup has turned unexpectedly

The Hawks regained home-court advantage with Monday’s win over Miami. Still, this first-round Eastern Conference playoff series has not gone the way many expected, especially after the Hawks’ dominant Game 1 performance. Tied 2-2, with Game 5 Wednesday night at Philips Arena, here are five things the series has turned on.

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AP

Hawks center ZaZa Pachulia said, ‘Defense has won a lot of games for us.’

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Battle of the boards

The team that has held the rebounding advantage has won every game. The Hawks held 50-35 and 40-33 advantages in Games 1 and 4. They were outrebounded in losses in Game 2 and 3.

In winning the rebound battle, the Hawks have limited the Heat to 64 and 71 points. That has been the Hawks’ recipe for success most of the season.

“Defense has won a lot of games for us,” center ZaZa Pachulia said.

The 64 points allowed in Game 1 was a Hawks record for fewest points allowed in a playoff game. They also set playoff marks for lowest second-half total (25), fourth-quarter points (7) and fewest field goals in game (23).

Looking long range

Miami has lived — and died — by the 3-pointer. The Heat have shot 57.7 and 52.2 percent from beyond the arc in wins (27-for-49 total). In losses, they’ve shot 17.4 and 25 percent (8-for-29) total.

Dwyane Wade was just 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the Game 4 loss.

“[Monday] our goal was to be physical with him,” Pachulia said. “We were not going to give him anything easy.”

Start fast

There have been three lead changes the entire series (not including the opening points) and none in the last two games.

The latest into the game that the eventual winner was trailing was in Game 2 when the Heat was behind 3-2 with 10:10 left in the first quarter.

“They are the players, but I’m the one to push the right buttons and get them to play,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “I understand that.”

Where is Joe?

Three-time Hawks all-star Joe Johnson is averaging just 13.8 points a game, more than seven points below his season average. Josh Smith is the leading scorer for the Hawks at 16.5 points a game. Mike Bibby has led, or been tied with another player, the Hawks in scoring in three of the four games. When Bibby led the team with 15 points in Game 4, it was the first time in Hawks playoff history that a player led the team in scoring without scoring more than 15 points.

“The thing is we’ve been able to sustain with [Johnson] being mediocre,” Woodson said. “To me, that’s great. It says a lot for the supporting cast. Joe just has to continue to play and eventually things will turn his way.”

Off the bench

The Hawks bench has been a bigger factor, outscoring the Heat 84-73. It looks closer than it is. Of those 73 bench points for the Heat, 37 came in Game 2. That’s 51 percent of their total in one game. Daequan Cook scored 20 points, and Michael Beasley had 12.

Flip Murray has scored more than half the Hawks’ bench points with 43. Pachulia had 12 points and 18 rebounds in Game 4.