Heat coach Spoelstra put rookie Hawks in the starting lineup to replace Jimmy Butler, who is out due to injury. The rookie showed the side of the newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers, played 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and formed a sharp double gun with Herro to lead the Heat to defeat the Bulls 112-91, thus entering the playoffs as the eighth in the West.
Halkes had another eye-catching performance, and he also became the second-highest player in playoff history with Morant scoring a game-high 35.
Hakes was in very consistent form, playing off the bench in the first play-off game, playing 22 minutes against the Bulls, shooting 6-of-11 and 2-of-4 from three-point range, scoring 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. In the second play-off game against the Bulls, the Heat lost leader Butler, but they have a great system and a good championship coach. The Heat held the initiative firmly from the beginning of the first quarter and eventually won 112-91.
Harkes is a wing player selected by the Heat with the 18th pick in the first round in 2023, he is 1.98 meters tall, can play scoring guard and small forward, and has become an important rotation player for the Heat this season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 48.9% from the field, 32.2% from three-point range, and 81.1% from the free throw line.
Halkes averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his 20 games as a starter. It can be seen from this data that he is just a rookie and fits the Heat system very well, and he plays a role when he comes to the Heat.
Now 23 years old, Harks is an older rookie. As a team that reached the Finals last season, the Heat did the right thing to do by choosing such a relatively mature rookie.
With Butler down, Harks stepped up. "When my number was called, it was a fantastic feeling. Hax said. The Heat's emphasis on teamwork, and the absence of a team leader has brought out the best in this team, with all the players working very the court.
Harkes was promoted from the bench to the starting line-up. On the bench, Love, Duncan Robinson, Drent Wright, and Highsmith all performed well, especially Love scored 16 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. 'As a whole, and especially as a team, the substitutions defended very well and they brought a new energy to the game. They can set our whole team on fire. Hax said.
The Heat will play the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and although the possibility of the Heat making it past the first round is difficult, don't underestimate the Heat, because this is a team that has experienced the baptism of the Finals.
Regarding the first-round game against the regular-season champions, the Celtics, Harkes said: "At the end of the day, we have to inject the culture and resilience of the Miami Heat [into the game]. We have two games in Boston, so we have to set the tone early on, impose our will on the opponent, and make it a real physical battle. ”
Haeks, who could be involved in defending All-Star Tatum in the playoffs, said, "I'm going to watch a lot of videos, learn a lot of things, understand what the other side likes to play, and I'm just going to play tough and tough and do the best I can." ”
When Harkes played hot in the playoffs, the teams that missed him in the draft should regret it. Especially the Lakers, who selected Schifino with the 17th pick. Schifino has been largely useless for the team this season, not in the rotation, and has spent most of his time playing in the Development League. For the sake of Schifino, the Lakers missed out on a number of potential new stars.
The Hawks, who drafted point guard with the 15th pick, should also regret it. Bafkin has been a fringe player with the Hawks this season, averaging just 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 37.0 percent from the field and 22.5 percent from three-point range.