Miami Heat Host Hawks Before Long Road Trip

The Miami Heat is a struggling team right now and things could actually get a whole lot worse before they get any better. They’ve failed defensively, giving up huge numbers to interior players while routinely allowing wide-open perimeter shots. On offense, they haven’t reached the 100-point margin since November 14, a 114-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks (10-6) will challenge the Heat on Wednesday night before Miami moves on to a tough five-game road trip.

When these teams last played, it was the first night without Dwyane Wade, who went on to miss a total of seven games due to a hamstring injury. Atlanta dominated Miami, building a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter despite 23 points from Mario Chalmers (starting in Wade’s place) and 21 points from Shawne Williams. There was some definite frustration after the game, as shown by these comments from Chris Bosh:

"“I guess it’s a process. That’s what I keep telling myself to keep myself sane, but eventually we’re going to have to turn the corner…I don’t know who we’re kidding if we’re going to play defense like that and then expect to stop them. We have no weak-side defense.”"

Since then, things have only worsened and, once again, defense seems to be the issue. Dwyane Wade spoke to reporters following a recent walloping by the Washington Wizards about Miami’s miscues:

"“I don’t think we’ve gotten to the defense we’ve wanted all year. We’re still fairly new; a lot of the guys are still confused with a lot of things we’re trying to do.”"

There’s some truth to Wade’s comments, as new players are still finding their roles while injuries have affected coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotations. But that doesn’t ignore Miami’s weakness along the interior, where the lack of a rim protector has cost the Heat in the paint and, by extension, along the perimeter. Atlanta features three strong frontcourt players – Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Pero Antic – that are solid rebounders and can shoot from outside. The obvious mismatches they present allowed speedy guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder to attack the rim, resulting in easy baskets or trips to the free throw line.

The Hawks’ outside shooting is a dangerous factor against any team. They’re currently fifth-best in the NBA, shooting just over 37 percent as a team. Kyle Korver is their best shooter (at a ridiculous 57.8 percent he’s the best in the league) and how he matches up with Wade could decide the game. Thabo Sefalosha, while struggling for most of the season, shot well against Miami during their last meeting. Teague, Millsap, Mike Scott and DeMarre Carroll are all legitimate threats from 3-point range.

In Miami’s favor is the fact the Hawks are on the second night of a back-to-back set, a 109-105 win over Boston. Atlanta was down by as many as 20 points in the second half before Korver (who went 6-of-7 from beyond the arc) led the comeback. As the Heat showed in their last loss on Sunday, fatigue might be a factor for the Hawks. But the Heat need improved production from starters Luol Deng and Williams, both of whom have struggled offensively. Josh McRoberts, while improving, has to be a more effective scorer off the bench. And rookies James Ennis and Shabazz Napier must demonstrate the ability to contribute while limiting their mistakes.

This all seems like a very difficult challenge for Miami but, with a long stretch of difficult games away from home, more tests will surely await. Showing they have the ability to pass them will be a positive step for a team that has failed to show much consistency this season.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. from the AmericanAirlines Arena. Check back with All U Can Heat for a recap, post-game grades and analysis.