Atlanta Hawks edge past the Miami Heat 93-89 in O.T – (Part 1)
Close games certainly haven’t been Miami’s piece of cake this season.
On Tuesday night against their south east division rivals the Atlanta Hawks, that dreaded fact reiterated itself again, as Miami slipped to their fourth consecutive loss.
Miami, who had LeBron James back in their fold after a two-game layoff however, did not make things easy for the Hawks. Staring at a deficit for most of the match, the Heat hung tough and took the match right down to the wire.
However, the cold-shooting that had plagued the men from South Beach all night long eventually resulted in their demise, as they failed to outmanoeuvre the Hawks in overtime.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra who watched desperately as his team stumbled down the stretch said after the match, "We showed a lot of heart and toughness to stick in there, and keep on grinding away. We had a horrible start to the game offensively."
Atlanta Hawks had five players in double figures with Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford leading the pack with 19 points each. Johnson also chipped in with 10 assists and five boards. In a game where few players shot well, Hawks' Crawford was the most effective,
especially in the fourth quarter and overtime. He shot 8-for-15 from the field and hit a crucial three-pointer midway through the extra period.
The star of the night though, was starting small forward, Josh Smith. The 6ft 9in sharp-shooter logged 15 points - including a go-ahead lay-up with 34.7 seconds left in overtime - and wrapped up his endeavours at Miami’s ring with 12 rebounds and three steals.
Mike Bibby also fetched 15 points, which featured four shots from long-range, while Maurice Evans came off the bench to score 11 points.
For the Heat, Chris Bosh missed the game with an ankle sprain. With one cog of the Big Three on the sidelines, James led the Heat with 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. The two-time reining MVP however, showed signs of rustiness, after missing a
few games and practice sessions. The explosive power forward managed only 11-of-30 from the field and 2-of-10 from the three-point range.
A dejected James said after the game, "(I was) Out of rhythm. My team-mates did a good job keeping the game close."
Dwyane Wade, who had missed the pre-game tuning session due to a sore knee, was also out of synch. Although the sharp-shooting guard finished with 27 points, he was only 8-of-20 from the court and 0-of-4 from downtown. To complement their woes, Atlanta switched
the Heat into a completely one-dimensional team, forcing them to rely solely on James and Wade.
With the duo misfiring, the Heat offence looked stale, as they shot below 30 percent until late in the third quarter. Wade and James combined to shoot just 19-for-50 and the Heat looked much like the early season team, which was struggling to build its chemistry.
The Hawks also reaped the benefits of Miami’s loose ball play. The Heat outfit accounted for 16 turnovers - six more than their opponents – that resulted in 25 Atlanta points, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the end.
Continued in Part 2
Tags: