For a majority of the series, Heat-Hawks was controlled by Miami. Three of their wins came by double-digits. The only one that didn’t – game five – was a game in which both Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler were out due to injury. As I thought it would the series went five games,
Heat-Hawks Series Recap
Bam & Butler Take Over
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler both played great in the series. Adebayo averaged 12.4 points and 8 rebounds across the five games of the series. He was especially good in games 3-5, averaging 15.7 points and 10 rebounds per game in those games. Jimmy Butler was even better in the series. While he did not play in game five due to injury, he was spectacular in the first four. Butler averaged 30.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. That includes his 45 point performance in game two. That’s an incredible stat line. “Jimmy Buckets” was dominant.
Ice Trae Struggles
On the other hand, Trae Young struggled mightily for the most part. His only particularly good game was the win the Hawks’ had in game four where he scored 24 points and had 8 assists. He dropped 25 in game two but also had 10 turnovers and a +/- of -11 in that game. In the other three games, Young scored no more than 11 points and also had a negative +/- in all three of them. It was weird to see Trae Young play poorly in this series considering how well he played in the Hawks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Atlanta will need more of that in future seasons.
What’s Next
Up next for the Heat in a second-round series against the winner of the series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. The Sixers are currently up 3 games to 2. Miami will get some time for their injured stars to rest for the next few days.
As for the Hawks, they head into the offseason with a lot of questions. The team underperformed this year, finishing 9th in the Eastern Conference after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu both have contract options that should be picked up. Lou Williams and Delon Wright both have expiring contracts and John Collins has been shopped in the past. The roster, while good, good look very different next season.
Main Photo
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