There are many indications that the Miami Heat, the number one in the East, are likely to lose game four of the Series against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat's starting point guard Kyle Lowry is suspended with a left hamstring strain; the Hawks' ace defender Clint Capela is back to make his series debut. Atlanta fans are excited about Trae Young's third layup, and they are looking forward to the Hawks, who are 1-2 behind, to tie the series in front of the home audience at the instigation of Trae Young.
On the contrary, the Heat completely killed the Hawks' offense with defense. On April 25, Jimmy Butler contributed 36 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to lead the Heat to a 110-86 away win over the Hawks. The Heat took the series match points and led 3-1 on aggregate. The Heat are expected to end the series on April 27, Beijing time.
Heat coach Eric Spollstra said: "We have dangerous defenders in our dressing room and they like tough challenges. ”
The Heat's tactics are simple: hold the ball, control Young. Without a point guard, the Heat showed amazing composure on the offensive end. The Heat delivered 14 turnovers in the third game, but this one they made only six turnovers, compared to the Hawks' 15.
The Heat began to power up in the second quarter. The Heat trailed 27-35, with Butler scoring nine consecutive points and leading the team to 15 points. The Heat advanced 44-37 in 3:55 minutes before halftime. Collins hit back three-pointers to stop the bleeding, P.J. Tucker scored five straight points, Butler and Adebayor took turns scoring and the Heat went on an offensive 11-0 surge to lead the Hawks by 14 points at the end of the first half at 55-41.
The Heat didn't make a single mistake in the first half, the first time an NBA team didn't make a mistake in the first/second half of the playoffs. Most of the mistakes that followed were also made during garbage time, bearing in mind that the Heat only had two turnovers at the end of the third quarter, when they were already 19 points ahead.
"Everyone in the dressing room knows that we can't make 15-20 mistakes in one game. This will ignite the passion of the opposing fans and ignite the passion of the opponent. So without our quarterback (referring to Lowry), there has to be a more coherent execution. Spooster said in a post-match interview.
The Heat are fourth in the league defensively this season, but their defense was challenged by Trae Young after Lowry left the field with an injury. In the third game, after Lowry left the game, Young scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including the throw that determined the outcome of the game. But at the end of the game that night, Yang started 36 minutes, shooting 3 of 11, 3 of 10 from three-point range, 9 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists on 0 of 1 free throw, and five turnovers. After 24 points and eight assists, he quickly returned to his first game (8 points on 12 shooting) and second (10 turnovers, 2-of-10 from three-point range).
The Heat put Trae Young out of the shadows, who later said, "I've never been defended like this, not since high school." ”
Trae Young made seven shots in the first half, six from outside the three-point line, and not one free throw. Since December 31, 2018, after Trey Young's rookie season, he has never made 0 free throws in the first half and has only made one shot within the three-point line.
In the four games in the series so far against the Heat, Trae Young has only hit 20 goals and delivered 24 assists, but has made 24 turnovers. In 91 rounds, he scored just 66 points, which is not the arrogant teenager people know in New York who bowed to the audience.
The Hawks don't know how to respond to the Heat's defense in this series. Butler said: "If you're him, you have to be vigilant at all times. Butler casually gave up 8 names: Tucker, Gabb Vincent, Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Taylor Hilo, and Lowry. They all played one-on-one against Trae Young in the game, and they followed each other. No matter how many times it was called to block and dismantle, the heat would have someone cover Yang in front of him.
The Hawks had to set up more cover and more no-ball runs to give Young a good shot. They succeeded a few times in the game, but those three-pointers neither quenched the Hawks' thirst nor changed the Heat's defense. In fact, although Young is a shooter, running without the ball in the game is not his habitual way of playing.
Under the oppressive defense of a group of fierce defenders, Young kept shooting outside the three-point line, many of which were forced to take shots because they could not break through the Heat's defense. He wants to attack the basket as usual, but he always has to face this situation:
"If you watch the game, you'll see that when I have the ball, they probably have 5 people in the paint." Yang said, "They did a good job of assisting the defense and didn't let me break into the box. When I dribble, they wrap me up and force me to pass the ball to my teammates. ”
After carelessly losing a game, the Heat made their main lineup in the first three quarters and a half, without giving the Hawks a chance to breathe. As one of the best defensive teams in the league and the best team in the East, when it did perfect, the 8th Eagles in the East could only accept defeat.