MIAMI — If the Hawks were listless from the start at Houston two nights earlier, there was no chance of that happening Monday night against Miami.
These were the Heat, the defending Eastern Conference champions. This was the dynamic pairing of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. And this was a chance for the Hawks to leave AmericanAirlines Arena with an early-season victory that served notice they will be a factor in the East.
“If you can't get jacked up for this game, then there is something wrong,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said before Atlanta faced the Heat.
There was nothing wrong with the Hawks, who recovered from a slow start and used a strong finish to beat the Heat 100-92.Miami (5-1) lost for the first time this season and the Hawks (4-1) earned their most impressive victory.
The Hawks won in style to begin a tough stretch of five games in six days. They play at East contender Chicago on Tuesday night.
"I think everybody in this locker room is confident," Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. "I think we know we are a good team that can play with anybody. But I don't think it proved anything. It's still early in the season. It's another game but it's a good stepping team for us as a team."
After the Hawks appeared hurried and unfocused early, they took it to the Heat over the final three quarters. Atlanta staggered the Heat with a 15-3 run to open the fourth quarter for an 82-74 lead and then made enough plays down the stretch.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Tracy McGrady finished off the Heat. He scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and also had four assists in the period.
McGrady, a seven-time All-Star until injuries began a decline, flashed some of the form that made him a two-time league scoring champion.
“It feels good,” McGrady said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had that feeling. My legs feel fresh. Everything just feels good. It feels right. That’s a good sign. I haven’t felt this good in a long time, probably since the beginning of my knee injury.”
Hawks guard Joe Johnson had 21 points and helped hold Wade to 12 points. Hawks center Al Horford scored 16 points, and Jeff Teague finished with 15 points and five assists.
The Hawks won their second consecutive game at Miami. They won 93-89 12 months earlier.
"We came down in a hostile environment, and we came to play," Hawks forward Josh Smith said. "Even though we started off struggling, we just kept fighting and playing hard."
The Hawks did it with defense. They scored 19 points off 16 Heat turnovers and held Miami to just 21 points in the final period, with eight of those coming after Atlanta was on its way to securing the victory.
Miami pulled within 90-84 on Udonis Haslem's free throw with 3:20 to play. Atlanta answered with an alley-oop dunk from Josh Smith and McGrady's consecutive 3-pointers for a 93-84 lead that sent Miami's fans to the exits.
The Hawks trailed by 10 points early, and then rallied in the second quarter when they forced turnovers and worked for better shots. They trailed 37-27 when Horford's score in the paint started a 17-5 run.
During the spurt, Teague's steal led to a 3-pointer from Johnson, and the Hawks scored on back-to-back dunks in transition. After Miami's Norris Cole made a 3-pointer, Atlanta scored eight consecutive points, including a layup by Teague and Johnson's score on a give-and-go with Smith.
Atlanta's 44-42 lead didn't last long. The Heat answered with an 8-0 run that featured six points from James. The Hawks trimmed the lead to 50-47 when a scrambled possession ended with Johnson's fadeaway 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
The Hawks regained the lead with a 6-0 run in the third quarter. Marvin Williams twice scored on cuts to the basket and Smith scored on a drive for a 61-58 Atlanta advantage.
Early in the game the Hawks neither took care of the ball nor avoided the quick shots that ignite Miami's running game. The Heat raced out to a 20-12 lead while making nine of their first 15 field-goal attempts with seven assists while Atlanta started 6 of 18 from the floor with one assist.
"We were too soft," Drew said. "We just allowed them to drive the ball to thee basket [and] not contesting shots. You give credit where credit is due, and certainly Miami is a heck of a ballclub. But you can't come into this building and just allow them to drive it down your throat every possession and not put up any resistance."
