Here come the Hawks. The excitement of that Boston series has carried over and led them to where they now. This is an athletic, very young team that plays pretty good D (10th Overall in Opp PPG and FG%), and at times look like an Eastern Conference contender.
Opening the playoffs with DWade and the Heat is a really tough draw. He seems to show up and win at will, and shutting him down will be the obvious key to victory. Here's the problem, the Hawks play solid team defense, but no one has ever accused Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, etc... of being "lock-down" defenders. So who is going to step up? Maybe the better question is, can anyone step up? We shall see. Keep him out of the lane and off of the foul line -- easier said than done.
Miami isn't very big, so Atlanta should look to play inside-out. Feed Horford the ball and get the Heat in quick foul trouble. Joe Johnson and/or Mike Bibby will continue to carry the offensive load, but they'll need some production from a pretty decent bench. Josh Smith will get his double/double. I'm still trying to find reasons not to pick Atlanta, but no glaring red flags come up. Without question, the East is Lebron's for the taking, but Atlanta could still have a say in the matter. Let's get through Miami first.
Tonight's game: Heat 88, Hawks 94
Hawks in 6
This series and the NOLA/Denver series are deemed OITO Approved Must See TV.
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