The Miami Heat (No.1 seed in the East) take on the Atlanta Hawks (No.8 seed), who survived the play-in tournament and advanced to the playoffs.
Hedgeout.net Team previews the series and picks the winner, with Game 1 taking place on Sunday in Miami.
Yiannis Bouranis
After clinching the final playoff spot through the play-in tournament, the Atlanta Hawks enter the series vs the Miami Heat as the underdog.
The Hawks need to play even better than the play-in games to have a chance against the top seed in the East.
To do so, they will rely on superstar guard Trae Young. The All-Star guard scored 32 of his 38 points in the second half to lead Atlanta past the Cleveland Cavaliers. Against the Heat this season, Trae Young is averaging 25.5 points.
The Hawks could face Miami without big men Clint Capela and John Collins, with both players dealing with injuries.
On the other hand, the Heat have their sights set on the NBA championship and aim for a deep playoff run.
Miami won the season series 3-1 and is the favorite to advance. Bam Adebayo (Covid-19 protocols) and P.J. Tucker (calf strain) return to the lineup to offer more depth and versatility to the roster.
Given how competitive Atlanta was in the play-in tournament, I expect Miami to win the series 4-2.
Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Alexandros Tsakos
Miami Heat enter the series as the no.1 seed having the best record (53-29) in the East. The Hawks, on the other side, had to go through the play-in tournament, beating the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers in two consecutive elimination games to make the postseason for the second year in a row.
The Heat are definitely the best team in the series having more options and depth than the Hawks.
The Hawks will have to play games without the starting frontcourt of Clint Capela and John Collins, while the Heat have already the upper hand in this area with star center Bam Adebayo.
Miami is also unstoppable at its home arena, winning 29 of their 41 games there during the regular season. They had a 24-17 record on the road.
They also have a better head coach in Erik Spoelstra. He sustained the Heat in the upper echelon of the East as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, allowing just 108.4 points per 100 possessions, which ranked them fourth in the NBA in Def Rtg.
I don’t see a way Atlanta could make the series go beyond five games. I expect Trae Young to have at least one historic playoff game, putting up exceptional numbers in the series. However, the Heat will go through the Hawks in five (4-1).
Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
Filippos Kassotis
The Miami Heat (53-29) and the Atlanta Hawks (43-39) are the last Eastern Conference pair to clash for a spot in the semifinals.
Atlanta outclassed the Charlotte Hornets (132-103) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (107-101) in the play-in tournament to secure the eighth position.
Miami won the season series (3-1), has the best record in the East and is the most well-balanced team this year.
Jimmy Butler is the team’s humble superstar and with the return of Bam Adebayo in Game 1 and the home-court advantage the Heat are the favorite to win the series.
On the other hand, Trae Young seems very determined and ready to step up for Atlanta. With him in a good condition, the Hawks are automatically one of the most unpredictable teams out there. Still, I think that Miami will make it to the semifinals (4-2).
Dimitris Georgiopoulos
The Miami Heat (53-29) have been performing really well this season. They finished first in the Eastern Conference for the first time after nine years. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has done a great job shaping the team.
Experienced players, like Jimmy Butler (averaging 21.4 points) and Kyle Lowry (averaging 13.4 points and 7.5 assists), are going along just fine with young and talented ones, like Tyler Herro (averaging 20.7 points) and Bam Adebayo (averaging 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds).
For their part, the Atlanta Hawks entered the playoffs via the play-in tournament, after defeating both the Charlotte Hornets (132-103) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (107-101).
This season has been an one man show for Nate McMillan’s team. Trae Young (averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists) is the star player.
Should the Hawks have a chance in qualifying for the semifinals, Young has to remain at the highest level offensively.
I think that Miami Heat was of the most solid teams this season. They also won the series against Hawks (3-1). Therefore, I predict they are going to move forwrd with ease. Miami wins in 5 (4-1).
Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Aggelos Nikolopoulos
The series between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks has a grand favorite. The Heat, having a good and stable season, won the first spot of the Eastern Conference and, as a result, the home-court advantage till the Conference Finals.
Three years now, a really good job is being done in Miami. The franchise managed to play in the NBA Finals after seven years and steadily participate in the playoffs. I believe that after last year’s 4-0 to the Bucks they aim to reach the Finals again.
It won’t be easy, but as a starting point they want to prevail over the Hawks, who entered the playoffs through the play-in.
Atlanta, which was eliminated by the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Finals last year, didn’t manage to clinch a playoff spot directly, but at least they compete in the postseason, winning the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It’s extremely difficult to repeat their last year’s achievements, especially without the home-court advantage against every team they re going to face. So, most likely, the Heat will have an easy series.
I think that a -1.5 series handicap (1.55) for Miami is a great option here, followed by a 4-1 series win.
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