Miami Heat display their ability to beat a team on either side of the ball

Though the Miami Heat couldn’t win their recent game against the New York Knicks, the second half of that contest might be what represents a shift in what they’ve had going on since the All-Star break.

Facing the Atlanta Hawks twice over the last two games, Saturday and Monday, with both being victories for this Miami Heat bunch, some could point to the fact that they’ve played the same team twice as a result of those victories.

However, this is a Hawks team that has beaten some good teams this year and can flat-out score the ball but also in looking at the nature of the Heat’s two wins, they were different and for very different reasons. That gives them both as much merit as any win against any team, but here’s why.

In the first matchup, the Miami Heat were able to ward off this Atlanta Hawks group, an offensively explosive Hawks unit, by diffusing their main cogs when it came to the offense. Holding Trae Young to just eight points on 2-13 shooting and 0-5 from range and Dejounte Murray to just 10 points on 3-14 shooting and 0-5 from range as well, that’s how the Miami Heat got that one done.

The Miami Heat still have a ton of work to do to continue sharpening their tools. However, seeing them win using offense or defense is encouraging.

And though he hasn’t played that well this year at all, unless he’s playing Miami and as indicated by a previous matchup this season and the game on Monday, whatever the Heat did on defense only allowed John Collins to see the floor for 16 minutes in the first contest Saturday, en route to three points and a board on 1-4 shooting.

And though on Monday Collins would look more like the guy he’s been prior to this season, the Miami Heat would still find a way to win the game. Allowing 43 first-quarter Atlanta Hawks points, the Miami Heat would not only get some stops on defense but would combat fire with fire by upping their own offensive output as well.

Scoring 130 points to win the game, this was one of the Miami Heat’s most explosive offensive showings of the year. But what does it all mean?

Well, while we have to see more of both sides more consistently down the stretch of the season, it shows you that these are still in there. And you say “these” because even though this is just the ability to win however they need to, they did it on both sides of the ball, in two separate games, and against the same team.

Winning the first game on defense by shutting out their main pieces and firestarters, the Miami Heat would then turn around to come out and overwhelm the Hawks on offense Monday.

And while you never want to spot the other team 43 points and a double-digit lead, it’s good to know that they can still get it done in a myriad of ways when they need to, something that’ll hopefully continue to progress and ascend as they close the year.