Previewing the Hawks vs Heat Play-In Game

The Hawks and Heat have a rematch of their first round playoff series last year, though this year it's in the Play-Ins, and only one game stands between the two teams and ending any postseason aspirations.

The Heat and Hawks are set to face off in the first game of the 2023 Play-In Tournament. As Miami ended the regular season as a higher seed than the Hawks, the game is set to be played at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami. Through the consideration of recent form from either teams, as well as how certain matchups might play out, let’s delve into who might come out on top.

The Heat have yet to replicate the same playoff success they had seen in the 2020 bubble, though they barely failed to make last year’s finals by grace of a missed Jimmy Butler 3 pointer. That said, this team (and Butler in particular) have been known to step up the level play once the regular season comes to a close. Coming into the Play-In Tournament, the Heat have gone 4-1 in their last 5. With roster changes that include the addition of Kevin Love and the shift of Gabe Vincent at the 1-spot, it looks like Miami is in better shape to have playoff success since the All-Star break. That said, there are still big questions surrounding the distribution of their offensive load, especially when it comes to responding to defensive adjustments made on Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.

On the Hawks’ side of things, this has been a fairly underwhelming season for them as a whole. The new additions of Dejounte Murray as the starting shooting guard and Quin Snyder as head coach had many thinking that the Hawks might make a push for a top 5 seed. Instead, they have sustained a .500 winning percentage even down to the end of the regular season, going 7-8 in their last 15. The question still remains of whether or not the Hawks can adjust to the Heat’s heavy blitzing scheme on Trae Young, which saw him average just 15.4 points on 32% shooting over last year’s eastern conference first round against the south Florida team.

As far as key matchups go, Hawks fans will likely rest easy knowing that Trae Young’s opposing point guard is not the focal point of the Heat’s offense. Though Gabe Vincent has done a good job running the point guard position, it is unclear if he can produce in a playoff setting. That said, the league as a whole has started forcing switches to tire out a team’s star player, especially if said star is as lackluster on the defensive end as Trae Young. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how Tyler Herro responds to the defensive pressure that Dejounte Murray is known to put on his opponents.

Overall, if last year’s playoffs were any indicator of how this will go, the Heat are not to be reckoned with here. That said, the past calendar year has seen Atlanta gain pieces, where the Heat have seemingly lost. Should be an interesting start to the 2023 Playoffs.