Heat-Hawks Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 11 2012 3:59PM

Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew felt his players overlooked a Miami team playing without LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in a stunning loss last month.

With James, Wade and Chris Bosh firing on all cylinders, it will be hard for the Hawks to look past the surging Heat in Sunday night's matchup at Philips Arena.

With James and Wade sidelined, the Jan. 5 meeting between the top two teams in the Southeast Division seemed to spell certain doom for Miami (20-7). The Heat suffered a 100-92 home loss to the Hawks just three days earlier with James, Wade and Bosh all playing at least 38 minutes, but didn't fold despite being shorthanded for the rematch.

Bosh scored 33 and Mario Chalmers had 22 of his 29 points after the third quarter in a 116-109 triple-overtime victory. A then-healthy Al Horford couldn't take advantage of Miami's deficiencies down low as the Hawks (18-9) were outscored 58-36 in the paint.

"The tendency is to let your guard down, and we certainly did," Drew said afterward.

It's unlikely Drew's team will have that problem again.

After opening a season-high six-game road trip with Wednesday's 102-89 loss to Orlando, the Heat bounced back with a 106-89 win over Washington on Friday, their ninth victory in 11 games. Wade finished with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting against the Wizards, while Bosh had 24 points and 11 rebounds and James added 18 points and nine assists.

Wade is averaging 27.2 points in his last five games - 5.0 better than his season average - and the Heat are 11-1 when Bosh reaches his average of 19.4 points.

James, who averages team highs of 28.1 points and 7.0 assists, and Wade hooked up on a pair of alley-oop dunks 97 seconds apart late in the first half Friday.

"We want to be efficient, and that's the most important thing," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We have a team that feeds off electric plays, and that's fine. I'm not going to put the reins on that, so we'll continue to get better at that."

Miami's up-tempo offense will likely be tested by Atlanta, which has allowed 87 points in each of its last two games.

After beating Indiana by 10 on Wednesday to snap a season-high three-game skid, the Hawks defeated the Magic 89-87 in overtime Friday.

"Coming in here a little short-handed and a little depleted, I thought our guys did a great job in just responding to the challenge," Drew said. "We really wanted to come in here and play with aggression ... I thought we really did a great job."

Josh Smith had another impressive showing, finishing with 23 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. He had 28 points and 12 boards against the Pacers after averaging 8.3 points on 35.1 percent shooting and 7.3 rebounds in his previous four games.

Smith didn't have much of an impact in Atlanta's first two games with Miami, finishing with nine points and six rebounds in the win and 17 points and 13 boards in the triple-OT loss. He had only four points on 2-of-7 shooting after regulation.

Joe Johnson, selected to his sixth All-Star game on Thursday, had 21 points in the win and 20 in the loss.

Miami's Big 3 leads Heat to 107-87 rout of Hawks

By PAUL NEWBERRY
Posted Feb 12 2012 10:30PM

ATLANTA (AP) On their last trip to Atlanta, the Miami Heat were missing two-thirds of their Big Three.

This time, they were at full strength.

The result was a laugher.

LeBron James scored 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 and Chris Bosh grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds, leading Miami to a 107-87 rout of the Hawks on Sunday night.

The Heat raced to a 22-point lead by halftime and made a big statement in the Southeast Division against the second-place Hawks, turning a supposed showdown into nothing more than a showcase for Miami's trio of stars.

"We couldn't script it (any) better," James said.

By halftime, Wade had 21 points. James was rolling along with 14 points and nine rebounds. Bosh had already put a double-double in the books with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat went to the locker room with a commanding 63-41 advantage, the Hawks having surrendered their most points in a half this season.

That was quite a contrast from the first two meetings between the division rivals. Atlanta pulled off a stunning 100-92 win in Miami on Jan. 2, while the Heat bounced back three days later on the Hawks' home court for a 116-109 victory in triple overtime.

James and Wade missed that second meeting, but Bosh carried the load with 33 points and 14 rebounds.

He had plenty of help in this one.

"You just have to give credit to the team effort on the defensive end," Bosh said. "Everybody did their job, put bodies on guys. We just went up in traffic, got it with two hands. Just fundamental basketball."

Miami won for the 10th time in its last 12 games, leading by as many as 32 before both coaches cleared their benches.

"When we play our best basketball, we can beat anybody," James said. "You have to do the dirty work. You have to defend."

Bosh finished with 14 points, complementing his strong work on the boards. James was active in the lane, as well, grabbing 13 rebounds, and he still found time to dole out six assists, too. Wade had a couple of steals and blocked a shot as the Heat totally clamped down on the Hawks, who shot just 39 percent and were outrebounded 52-38.

"They came out with an aggression," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "Against a team like this, you can't fall prey into being seduced into taking jump shots. You have to get to the basket, and you have to get to the free-throw line. In the first half, we did not do that."

The Hawks starters - four of whom were averaging in double figures - combined for just 40 points, led by Joe Johnson with 12. Willie Green actually led with 17 points, the reserves getting plenty of playing time with the game out of hand. Josh Smith had six points before the game was 3 minutes old. He had only one more basket the rest of the way.

"It almost seemed like they wanted it (more) than we did," Johnson said.

Atlanta lost for the fourth time in its last five home games, the average margin in those defeats nearly 15 points. Even more troubling, Atlanta has fallen behind by at least 20 points in all four losses.

"I don't know if it was a play they made or what, but it just baffles me," Johnson said. "We're sitting here in this locker room talking a good game and we go out there claiming we're ready to play. Then we get out on the court and it's like we haven't even talked about the game plan. It hurts."

Atlanta actually led 13-8 in the early going, but this one got away from the Hawks in a hurry. Miami ripped off nine straight points to take control, including a soaring dunk by James off a pass from Wade that would be a telling sign of things to come.

The Hawks failed to score over the final 4:30 of the first quarter, missing their last seven shots. Miami closed the period on an 11-0 run for a 30-18 lead, and it could've been even worse - James zipped a pass to Udonis Haslem under the basket, but he missed the layup just before the buzzer as James punched at the air in frustration.

That was about the only lowlight for the Heat. James kept his foot on the pedal at the start of the second quarter, tipping in his own miss and knocking down two free throws to make it a 16-point game. The Hawks got a brief spark off the bench from Green, whose 3-pointer cut the deficit to 36-29 with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining the in the half.

That was as close as the Hawks would get. Miami outscored the home team 27-12 the rest of the period, not shooting all that well but dominating the boards. The Heat closed the half with a staggering 31-13 rebounding edge.

Johnson didn't have any rebounds, a glaring shortcoming on a team missing All-Star center Al Horford.

"I take that on me personally," Johnson said. "I've got to get in there and help the bigs. I'm doing a poor job."

Notes: Hawks C Jason Collins, out with a strained left elbow, will be evaluated Wednesday while the team is in Los Angeles. He said the movement in his arm is OK, but he'll have to build up the strength before he can return to the court. ... The Heat put five players in double figures. Mario Chalmers scored 15 and Norris Cole had 10. ... Atlanta's record dropped to 5-9 against teams that are above .500. ... Miami's Dexter Pittman sustained a bruised left shoulder in a collision with Atlanta's Erick Dampier.

Notebook: Heat 107, Hawks 87

Posted Sunday February 12, 2012 10:43PM

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Heat didn't need LeBron James or Dwyane Wade to win in Atlanta on Jan. 5, and with them healthy Sunday, Miami completely trounced the defenseless Hawks 107-87 in the first of their three games in as many nights.

James and Wade were injured when the Heat won 116-109 in triple overtime in Philips Arena last month, and this game bore no similarity to that one.

Wade scored all 21 of his points in the first half, Chris Bosh had a double-double in the first half (10 points, 10 rebounds) on the way to totals of 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, and James almost had a double-double in the first two quarters with 14 points and nine rebounds (and four assists) as Miami built a 63-41 halftime lead. He finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

After an 8-1 start at home, the Hawks have lost four of their past five in Philips, and trailed by at least 20 points in the same four home games. They trailed by 32 in the third quarter, and second time in that five-game stretch that's happened. Reserve Willie Green led Atlanta with 17 points.

QUOTABLE: "We couldn't have scripted a better start [to the three-games-in-three-days run]. We played Miami Heat basketball . . . we were able to get stops defensively, and transition translates into offense . . . I wanted to rebound tonight because it enables me to push the tempo."
-- James, who had just two rebounds in Miami's win at Washington on Friday.

THE STAT: 31-13 -- That was Miami's first-half rebounding edge. The Heat took 21 defensive rebounds in the first two quarters, limiting Atlanta to just five offensive rebounds.

TURNING POINT: The Hawks trailed by just one when Zaza Pachulia hit a jump shot with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta did not score again in the period as the Heat scored the final 11 points and the first four of the second quarter to take a 34-18 lead. The game was never remotely close after that stretch, during which the Hawks missed eight straight shots and were out-rebounded 9-2,

QUOTABLE II: "We had a great crowd tonight and we just didn't come out with the energy and effort that we needed . . . to beat a team like the Heat . . . it almost seemed like they wanted it [more] than we did. They got the loose balls, all the rebounds, and they were just more aggressive on both ends of the court."
-- Atlanta All-Star guard Joe Johnson, who scored 12 points and did not have a rebound.

HOT: Wade made a modest 3-of-5 shots in the second quarter, but was perfect on seven free throw attempts. . . . Bosh had eight rebounds in the same period. . . . Shane Battier made 3-of-4 shots and has made 12-of-18 in his past three games.

GOOD MOVE: Miami coach Erik Spoelstra and his team do a great job tilting the floor at times with James and Wade on one side or the other, only to have the ball swing quickly to the weakside for what is often a wide-open shot.

ROOKIE WATCH: Atlanta forward Ivan Johnson played just 10:07 for reasons unknown, but made some use of his time. He had six points, two rebounds, two steals. . . . Miami guard Norris Cole shot just 4-for-11, but added a couple steals and a couple assists (plus a couple turnovers). He continues to play with an apparent absence of fear.

NOTABLE: The Heat are 2-1 halfway through a six-game road trip, and 2-1 against the Hawks this season after dropping a 100-92 decision in Miami on Jan. 2. . . . Spoelstra said reserve center Dexter Pittman has been limited recently by a thigh bruise, but has played well enough to earn more work when he's healthy. . . . The Hawks' old men got more playing time than they might have expected as Atlanta coach Larry Drew did not play any starters in the fourth quarter. Jerry Stackhouse, a 17-year veteran, scored seven points with a couple rebounds, and center Erick Dampier grabbed four rebounds. The 16-year veteran signed a 10-day contract on Thursday.

IN THE ARENA: Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to play in the NBA (1950-'51 with the Washington Capitols), was honored at halftime in Philips Arena. The 83-year-old former small forward also played with the Syracuse Nationals and the Detroit Pistons. . . .

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Monday @ Bucks, Tuesday @ Pacers, Friday @ Cleveland. For the Hawks, Tuesday @ Lakers, Wednesday @ Suns, Saturday @ Blazers.

• Heat: Gladness, Harris
• Hawks: Collins, Horford

• Heat: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #26 Pat Fraher, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 18371
• Duration: 2:10