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Hawks Four Keys to Upsetting Heat in Game Two

How the Hawks can even the series in Miami.

Pat Benson

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
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After watching the blowout on Easter Sunday, oddsmakers are even more bullish on the Miami Heat. Not only did they beat the Atlanta Hawks, but at times, they beat them up. Below are four ways in which the Hawks must improve to steal a road game away from the Heat.

How the Hawks Can Win Game Two

Less Stagnant Offense

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

We know the Hawks are poor on defense. Take Clint Capela out of the picture and they go from bad to worse. But what we didn't expect was an abysmal offensive performance from the Hawks' best shooters.

The good news is the odds ofΒ Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic shooting a combined 1-20 FG (0-11 3PT) again are almost zero. But, with the Heat laser-focused on Young, the Hawks have to rely on ball movement to beat the ultra-long and switchable Heat defense.

The Hawks were 1-16 in the regular season when held to less than 102 points. So, you can calculate their chances of winning when they score 91 points as they did on Sunday by yourself. More ball movement and more characteristic performances from their leaders should be easy fixes.

Remain Mentally Tough

Jimmy Butler collides with Trae Young.
Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

As I eluded to earlier, the Heat tried bullying Trae Young from the outset. It was eerily reminiscent of the 'Jordan Rules' from back in the day. Naturally, the Hawks didn't back down one bit. Nor do I expect them to cower down from opponents.

We know the Heat are going to physically intimidate the Hawks and the crowd will be equally unwelcoming. Luckily, this Hawks team has unshakable confidence and zen-like qualities that are beyond their years. I fully expect them to remain in control of their emotions.

Slow Down Heat Shooters

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Duncan Robinson set a Heat franchise record for most threes made in a Playoff game. The sharpshooter went 8-9 from deep and helped seal the easy victory. While I don't think we're going to see more offensive outbursts like that, the Hawks still face an uphill battle on defense.

With Clint Capela out and John Collins at less than 100%, that removes the defensive backstop that the Hawks' subpar perimeter defenders have relied on all season. Couple that loss with the Heat constantly running shooters off screens and you have a shaky defense being stretched past its breaking point. Cam Reddish ain't walking through that door, so the Hawks must figure out a way to work with what they have on the roster.

Schematic Changes

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan is more likely to demand better performances from his players than to radically change anything with his system. However, that doesn't mean he won't make adjustments.

After the Heat revealed their plan to wall up against Trae Young in the first half of Game One, the Hawks answered accordingly. We saw their offense run more action to get the ball to shooters in the corners and make the backline (consisting of the backcourt) of Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry work to cover more ground.

It's safe to say the Heat will continue to switch aggressively and occasionally trap Young to get the ball out of his hands. The All-Star point guard has proven capable of facilitating the offense in the face of such defensive pressure. McMillan and his staff just need to have plenty of sets drawn up to empower the role players (which I'm sure they do).

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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