MIAMI – After a hectic few days, including an emotional high after a second-half comeback in Friday’s play-in game in Cleveland and a 115-91 thrashing by the Heat in Game 1 Sunday, the Hawks used Monday as a maintenance day. It was a time to “get what you need” ahead of Game 2 Tuesday of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series.
Coach Nate McMillan and Hawks players didn’t use tired legs as an excuse after the loss, instead pointing to a lack of intensity, but that decision Monday made sense. Atlanta had a long film session in the morning and an optional practice (for those not banged up or needing rest) in the afternoon.
Whether tired, having an off game or struggling against No. 1 seed Miami’s killer defense, legs weren’t moving in Game 1 as much as the No. 8 seed Hawks would have liked – that’s one of the takeaways from reviewing film, per wing Kevin Huerter.
“We were standing around a lot, especially in that first half,” Huerter said. “Any defense is good if they can just stare at the ball and get give five guys playing boxes and elbows, and you’re not getting a lot of movement offensively. So that’s just, a lot of that’s on us, just making them move a little bit.”
Miami’s defense is already so potent that the Hawks don’t want to make its life any easier, which is why more movement on offense is so key. Trae Young’s ability to pave the way, whether it’s pulling up from 3, getting to his floater or driving all the way to the basket, setting up a teammate if the defense starts trapping or doubling him, has helped the Hawks maintain one of the league’s most potent offenses (No. 2 in offensive rating for most of the year, finishing the regular season at 115.4).
But that offense was disrupted so thoroughly in Game 1 that you never saw a rhythm established. Granted, the Hawks were playing without center Clint Capela (right knee hyperextension) and John Collins (right ring finger sprain/right foot strain) got his first game minutes since March 11.
Still, more movement and cutting will help open up things for Young and the Hawks overall, wing De’Andre Hunter thinks.
“We talked about it (during the film session), just 1-5, not even just the 5 man, but a 4 man setting screens, 1-5 everyone moving and cutting and just having the defense move instead of just having them set and load on Trae, or whoever has the ball. ... It’s more so just moving the ball,” Hunter said. “Because they were kind of, I wouldn’t say they were doubling Trae, but they were forcing him one way into the trap or whatever. So just cutting, everyone moving, I think that’ll be harder for them to just load up on Trae that well.”
In Game 1, the Hawks had 16 assists compared to the Heat’s 35. Though Atlanta’s shooting struggles can explain some of that (38.7% from the field and 27.8% from 3-point range to the Heat’s 52.4% from the field and 47.4% from 3), with fewer made baskets, the lack of movement made getting quality shots more difficult.
“Offensively, our movement’s gotta be a little bit better,” Huerter said. “Definitely tough for us to generate shots (Sunday). They did a good job, a lot of credit to the Heat and their defense. We’ve just got to have better movement. We’ve got to get back to running some of our sets and our plays and just trying to get open, get easier baskets. .... (Switching 1-5) is something they’re good at. Bam (Adebayo) is obviously one of the few 5′s in the league that can switch 1-5. It’s a big advantage for them, so that was definitely something that we saw, and gotta run different things against it.”
In Game 2, another matchup in Miami before the series returns to Atlanta for Game 3 Friday and Game 4 Sunday, McMillan wants to see improved spacing from the Hawks. The Hawks can’t rely on their first or second option, which Miami’s defense (finished the regular season with a No. 4 in defensive rating at 108.4) will likely take away.
On the plus side for the Hawks, the teams will be on more even rest for Game 2, with the Heat entering Game 1 with an entire week off to prepare and rest.
“Just coming down and running a play and playing in your first option, meaning you come down and you shoot it, or you come down and you make one pass and you shoot it, they’re going to guard that,” McMillan said. “You’ve got to get to your third, fourth, fifth option where you get the ball reversed from side to side, you get some movement and after that third, fourth, fifth pass is when you’re probably going to get something open.”
