Hell Week continues for the Atlanta Hawks in South Beach! The Miami HEAT are steamrolling the NBA, hoping to make quick work of the Hawks for their 19^th consecutive win and seventh straight in this series. To avoid going 1-8 over the course of nine games, the Hawks need to pull off a big win, either tonight against the Heatles, or back home against the Lake Show tomorrow.

The Highlight Factory was the site of Miami’s highlight reel on February 20, when the HEAT throttled the Hawks 40-17 in the final quarter, storming ahead of Atlanta for a 103-90 win in what was perceived by many to be Josh Smith’s final act as an Atlanta Hawk. Atlanta actually outgunned the HEAT on two-pointers (63.0 to 49.1 on 2FG%), but took way too many non-fortuitous threes (7-for-26; everyone aside from Kyle Korver and DeShawn Stevenson went 0-for-16) while the HEAT nailed 10 of their 23, half of those makes from Ray Allen and Shane Battier in that fateful final stanza. Jeff Teague, Al Horford, and Smith coughed the ball up 15 times combined, while Miami’s entire team committed just 11 turnovers.

Miami was able to secure the February win without the services of Mike Miller (cold), while Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen were sidelined during the game.

Now, with everyone on his roster healthy, LeBron James doesn’t have to try and do everything in a game, allowing him the choice of helping as either a distributor or a defensive rebounder as he finds his offense. LBJ has managed to get a minimum of either ten rebounds or ten assists, or both, in nine of his last 12 games.

We’ll also have the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week to deal with. Dwyane Wade averaged 25.3 PPG while shooting 60.6% over Miami’s 4 wins last week, tacking on 10 assists at Minnesota and a season-high 6 steals versus Indiana. He’s a 6’4” shooting guard who has comfortably averaged 20 points a night for his entire career without ever having to expand his range beyond the perimeter (one three-pointer made since February 1), now shooting a career-high 52.3 FG% this season. For what it’s worth, he’s shooting a career-low 74.6 FT% but even seems to be turning that number around (82.1 FT% this month).

Lately, where the HEAT is getting scorched defensively is in the paint. Al Horford shot 12-for-15 for 27 points on February 20. And in their last seven games, Miami has been gashed by DeMarcus Cousins (24 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists), Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph (38 combined points on 14-for-29 shooting, 18 rebounds), Carmelo Anthony (32 points, 8-for-16 on two-pointers, 13-for-14 on free throws), Derrick Williams (25 points and 10 rebounds), Nikola Vucevic (25 points, 21 rebounds, 9 of them offensive), Thaddeus Young (25 points on 12-for-15 shooting), and the tandem of Roy Hibbert and David West (40 combined points on 14-for-24 shooting).

To end Miami’s streak, Atlanta’s forwards and centers must start by pounding the ball inside repeatedly against Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Chris Andersen, and Joel Anthony, drawing help from LeBron so he’s not just camping out waiting for fast breaks.

As coachx notes, Teague needs to right the ship once again, after a poor outing against Brooklyn on Saturday, and win the turnover battle against Chalmers. He must get the ball early in the game to his bigs, who in turn must gather and go up quickly for short-range shots. The Hawks have won their last six games, and are 10-2 on the season, when Teague registers at least ten assists in a game.

The Hawks must focus and make good on free throws, then let their best shooters (and only those guys) match Miami’s three-point fuselage in the 4^th quarter. The HEAT have five players at their disposal shooting better than 40 percent from three-point range. That includes James, shooting a career-high 40.4 3FG%. That group (with Battier, Chalmers, Allen, Rashard Lewis) doesn’t even include Mike Miller or James Jones. Force Chris Bosh (season low six points, on 2-for-10 shooting, versus Atlanta on February 20) to make the big baskets in crunch time.

With Zaza Pachulia still out with a sore Achilles, strong rebounding will be needed from Anthony Tolliver, starting at center, and Johan Petro. Ivan Johnson will be deployed at center occasionally against Haslem and Anthony. Horford will have to deny James space to create offense, while Smith and Stevenson will have to force Wade to move laterally whenever he attempts to drive to the cup.

Go Hawks!

~lw3