Examining the Atlanta Hawks matchups with the Miami Heat.

One of the dates which the Atlanta Hawks would have circled is their first matchup of the season with the Miami Heat. It was the Heat who bundled the Hawks out in the first round of the playoffs last season. This set into motion a series of trades that netted the Hawks a second star who can defend the perimeter and handle the ball as well as a couple of 3-and-D players.

The Hawks will be eager to show that they are a totally different team from last season. It will no longer be an option for the Heat to double Trae Young as they are going to have Dejounte Murray who is more than capable of setting up the offense for himself and others.

There is also a definite feel in the franchise that the team needs to show the rest of the league how good they are going to be. Why else would the Hawks’ Twitter page have highlighted this series, one of only a few teams that they have done this for?

How the Atlanta Hawks series structure against the Heat benefits them.

Well, the first game of the series is in late November, which will be almost a quarter of the way into the season. The new backcourt of Young and Murray will have had time to form on-court chemistry which is going to be crucial for the success of the Hawks’ season, particularly as it is a home game that the Hawks will need to win to beat some NBA pundits win-loss predictions.

The second time that they play will be on MLK day when the Hawks will need to capitalize on their MLK day record and defeat the Heat. This is the last of the two teams’ matchups in the sanctity of State Farm Arena.

The Hawks then next play the Heat in early March and it is a quirk of the fixture that actually harms the teams’ chances of winning. They play the Portland Trail Blazers at State Farm Arena before traveling to Miami to take on the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back. Then two nights later they play the Heat for the second time in a row, again on the Heat’s home floor.

The Hawks need to win both games on their home floor and then take one against the Heat on their home floor. This will allow them to win the season’s series which may be crucial at the end of the season in terms of seeding.