To understand the scenes of jubilation at Target Center following Minnesota’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in play-in (109-104, April 13), it is worth looking in the rear view mirror: on March 2, 2021, CBS Minnesota headlined: “The Timberwolves now have the worst winning percentage in major sports history in the United States” the day following one – umpteenth – defeat once morest the Phoenix Suns (99-118). They had just lost the 1,524th game in franchise history (987 wins at the time, 39% success).
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Preview
NBA Playoffs, Preview – Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks: How far does it go for one-man show Trae Young?
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
1-seed vs. 8-seed, rock solid defense once morest a Trae Young at his best, the Miami snipers once morest the lousy Hawks defense. The roles are clearly divided before the first round series Miami vs. Atlanta, also due to personal question marks.
Game 1 of the series between the Heat and Hawks takes place on Sunday, April 17 at 7pm UK time and will be broadcast live on DAZN transfer. The complete schedule for all series can be found here. And here you can read which other games can be seen on the sports streaming service.
NBA Playoffs – Heat vs. Hawks: The starting position
The Heat have won six of their last seven regular-season games, earning first place in the Eastern Conference and potential home field advantage going into the Finals. The lead over Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia was two games.
The addition of preseason strong Kyle Lowry added a new element and structure to the Heatles’ game. Together with top scorer Jimmy Butler (21.4 points), a variety of shooters and a switch-friendly defense around PJ Tucker and Bam Adebayo (fourth best defensive rating, third fewest allowed points), Miami once once more turned out to be an extremely unpleasant opponent. And it will remain so in the playoffs.
While the Heat, plagued by a few minor ailments, were able to put their feet up for a week, the Hawks got down to business: With a strong final sprint, Atlanta finally qualified for the play-in tournament and there following the easy win once morest Charlotte also defeated the Cavaliers.
Against the injured Cavaliers, second-half heroics from Trae Young were needed to propel the Hawks into the postseason. The point guard scored 32 of his 38 points following the break tea and almost single-handedly made up for a 16-point deficit on the way to the 107:101 success. And the burden that the little offensive genius has to shoulder will tend to increase once morest Miami.
After Lou Williams (missed the fifth game in a row once morest Cleveland due to back problems) and John Collins (has only played four games since mid-February due to foot and finger injuries), another support member, Clint Capela, had to leave the field. The center hyperextended his knee, despite optimism his participation once morest Miami seems completely open.
NBA Playoffs – Heat vs. Hawks: facts and figures
| Stat | Heat | Hawks |
| Record Regular Season | 53-29 | 43-39 |
| Offensive Rating (Place) | 113,0 (12) | 115,4 (2) |
| Defensive Rating (Place) | 108,4 (4) | 113,7 (26) |
| Net-Rating (Platz) | +4,5 (6) | +1,6 (14) |
| Direct comparison | 3-1 | 1-3 |
NBA Playoffs 2022: How the Heat win the series
The key matchup for the Heat is clearly Kyle Lowry vs. Trae Young. The Hawks have the second-best offensive in the league, which is felt to be 99.9 percent related to the Young personality. Lowry’s ability to chain an opposing star was amply demonstrated in Toronto. But now he is 36 years old, Young is 23. It cannot be eliminated anyway, but it would be enough to at least limit the Hawks star.
And at the other end of the field, Young should also be the focus. Because despite all the praise, there are few players in the NBA who are so vulnerable. From a Miami perspective, Young needs to be attacked, chased for blocks (Miami leads the league in scoring corner threes!) and engaged in pick ‘n’ roll actions to drain him and ideally get him into foul trouble.
It also doesn’t look like health is going to thwart the South Beach team: Tucker, who sat out the final two games of the regular season with calf problems, announced on Wednesday that he was ready for the playoffs. Adebayo had to go into the Covid protocol the previous week, he too should return in time. Herro sat out once morest the Magic last Sunday (left knee), which may have been primarily a precautionary measure.
NBA: The Miami Heat roster
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
| Kyle Lowry | Duncan Robinson | Jimmy Butler | P.J. Tucker | Bam Adebayo |
| Gabe Vincent | Tyler Herro | Max Strus | Markieff Morris | Deayne Dedmon |
| Victor Oladipo | Mychal Mulder | Caleb Martin | Haywood Highsmith | Omer Yurtseven |
| Yes’Vonte Smart | Udonis Haslem |
NBA Playoffs 2022: How the Hawks win the series
Figuring out the path to a close series from Hawks’ perspective doesn’t take rocket science. Almost all hopes rest on the name Trae Young. In top form, he can be the best player in the series and partially compensate for the fact that the Heat are otherwise superior in all respects. In January he put up 28 points in the only win of the season once morest Miami, which will now also be needed – at least.
A Collins return seems unlikely, so a quick return (which seems possible) is all the more important. Without the Swiss, sophomore Onyeka Okungwu would join the starting lineup and Gorgui Dieng would be his backup. In addition to Bogdan Bogdanovic, whose recent performances have encouraged, and Delon Wright to a lesser extent, there is otherwise a lack of reliable bench players.
And at least one statistic should still make the Hawks confident: If they can keep the games tight for a long time, something is possible. Miami has only 24th best offense in crunch time and 21st best in the final quarter. No Butler, Atlanta’s weak defense – THE shot creator par excellence is missing the heat. On the other hand, the Hawks have had the fifth-best offense in the fourth quarter since March (132.3 points, +13.6 net rating).
NBA: The Atlanta Hawks roster
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
| Trae Young | Kevin Huerter | De’Andre Hunter | Danilo Gallinari | *Clint Chapel |
| Delon Wright | Skylar Mays | Bogdan Bogdanovic | Onyeka Okongwu | |
| *Lou Williams | Kevin Knox | *John Collins | Gorgui Dieng |
* It is not yet clear when Capela, Collins and Williams will be available once more.
NBA Playoffs – Heat vs. Hawks: Who will win the series?
The Heat are looking for redemption two years following the Finals loss to the Lakers. This desire should only have increased due to the first round last year – a sweep by the Bucks. And the signs are brilliant. Few teams can demonstrate such intensity and class defensively while relying on so many good shooters offensively. Almost anything seems possible in the East.
The Hawks, on the other hand, were able to save at least halfway a season that had been messed up for a long time thanks to the strong final sprint and the playoff qualification. However, getting into the second round would be a big surprise, the personal question marks are too big and the squad is correspondingly thin. But at least one victory will make Trae clear. Forecast: Heat in 5.
Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons Season Preview: Welcome back to relevance
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
Let’s continue with the second part of our preview series almost four weeks before the start of the new NBA season! Also included today: Will the Heat catapult themselves into the realm of the top teams in the east? Can the Knicks build on the successful previous season? And how happy are the Pistons fans with their summer?
In our ten-part preview series, we’ll take an in-depth look at each team three at a time, starting today with the early representatives from the Eastern Conference. Here is part one with the Warriors, Grizzlies and Timberwolves.
NBA Season Preview MIAMI HEAT
Miami Heat: The Transactions
newcomers
- Trade: Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
- Free Agency: P.J. Tucker (Milwaukee Bucks), Markieff Morris (Los Angeles Lakers), Caleb Martin (Charlotte Hornets)
departures
- Trade: Goran Dragic, Precious Achiuwa (beide Toronto Raptors)
- Free Agency: Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica (beide Golden State Warriors), Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn (beide Los Angeles Lakers)
Miami Heat: The most important statistics 2020/21
| Bilanz Regular Season | Offensiv-Rating | Defensiv-Rating | Net-Rating |
| 40-32 (6th place in the East) | 110,6 (18.) | 110,7 (10.) | -0,1 (17.) |
Miami Heat: Strategy in the offseason
In one respect, the Heat left no doubts regarding this offseason: Miami wants to follow up on the surprising finals run in 2020 with a delay of one year following the past season was rather of manageable success. For this, team president Pat Riley put all his chips on the table.
The guiding principle for the summer was all-in, which was implemented in the form of a sign-and-trade for the best available free agency player: Kyle Lowry. The Heat also signed Tucker and Morris (HeatCulture, I hear you trapping) and bagged contract extensions with Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson.
Riley doesn’t care that Miami might face ugly consequences aka punishment by the league (the investigation is still ongoing) as a result of the Lowry deal. Lowry and the other signings are excellent fits, especially on defense, which will be the Heat’s hobbyhorse. Miami is one of the big winners of the offseason, laying the groundwork for an attack in the east. But is that enough for the top?
Miami Heat: The Vulnerabilities
The shooting was already a problem child, especially in the potential starting frontcourt with Butler, Tucker and Bam Adebayo, the classic three-person experts are not gathered to widen the field. Also, some key pillars of the team are relatively old, will they stay healthy throughout the season?
If the answer is “no,” the depths might cause some Heatles to frown. Above all, there is no additional playmaker behind Lowry and Butler, Nunn’s departure might still hurt. Perhaps the Heat are also pinning their hopes on Tyler Herro, who should take the next step following a mixed sophomore season.
The Miami Heat roster
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
| Kyle Lowry | Duncan Robinson | Jimmy Butler | P.J. Tucker | Bam Adebayo |
| Gabe Vincent | Tyler Herro | KZ Okpala | Markieff Morris | Dewayne Dedmon |
| Victor Oladipo * | Max Strus | Caleb Martin | Udonis Haslem | Omer Yurtseven |
| Marcus Garrett |
*still injured at the start of the season
Miami Heat: The hopeful
Or on Victor Oladipo. While he’s not the classic hopeful (like Adebayo, a hitting Lowry, or franchise star Butler), the guard might play an important role in Miami’s hoped-for evolution from a good team to a very good one.
After quadriceps surgery in May and long-term injury concerns, the 29-year-old signed for the minimum ($2.4 million). Can the infamous Heat athletic trainers work wonders for Oladipo when he returns, expected in November? If he’s revived as a scorer and playmaker to All-Star levels, he might bring a new dimension to Miami.
Miami Heat: Fazit
However, this should not necessarily be expected. Nonetheless, the Heatles are better positioned than last year just by adding Lowry. But the Heat are not yet up to the level of the Bucks and Nets. You will probably even have to classify yourself behind the Sixers as the fourth power in the east.
With the combination of defense, experience and young talent, Miami is well positioned to take advantage of any weak phases in the competition. But sooner rather than later, the Heat will have to hope for an opening door of the basketball gods for a title attack. In the years to come, the team will grow old and expensive.
NFL Playoffs Preview Divisional Sunday: Offensive fireworks in Kansas City
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
At the end of the Divisional Round there are two real cracker games. In Tampa Bay, the Rams claim the champion. Will Tom Brady and Co. prevail despite injury worries? This is followed by offensive fireworks between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in Kansas City.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4, #2) – Los Angeles Rams (12-5, #4) (So., 21 Uhr LIVE on DAZN)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Road to the Divisional Round
With the exception of two bankruptcies once morest division rivals from New Orleans, the Bucs played a convincing regular season, the victory in the NFC South was bagged early, and in the end Tom Brady’s team even moved up to second place in the NFC. Tampa Bay also made short work of the visiting Eagles in the Wild Card Round: The hosts took a 31-0 lead in the third quarter, making the class difference between the two teams even clearer than the final result of 31:15 would suggest would.
Los Angeles Rams: The Road to the Divisional Round
With seven wins from the first eight games of the season – including a 34:24 win over the Bucs – the Rams started the season red hot, but three losses in a row caused a few worry lines in November – especially because quarterback Matthew Stafford suddenly got old Pattern with too many errors fell behind. However, with five wins in a row, Los Angeles fought back to the top of the NFC West and maintained the division win despite a loss in Week 18. The Rams also put on a dominant performance in the wild card round: the team went once morest the Cardinals led by head coach Sean McVay shortly following the break with 28:0, in the end it was a never really endangered 34:11 victory over the division rivals.
The current situation of the Buccaneers
The Bucs may have paid dearly for defeating the Eagles in the Wild Card Round: After Tampa Bay lost two of its top three receivers in the regular season, Chris Godwin (ruptured cruciate ligament) and Antonio Brown (sacked), they were injured in the first playoff -Round also two more central offensive linemen, Ryan Jensen and Tristan Wirfs. During the week, both top performers might not train, especially if Werfs were to drop out, the reigning champion would be hit really hard. Ronald Jones II, Cyril Grayson and Breshad Perriman are also in danger of missing the Rams clash. After all, the defense is almost at its best, and Leonard Fournette is supposed to celebrate his comeback this weekend.
The current situation of the Rams
The Rams also have to replace what is probably their best and most important offensive lineman following advancing in the last round: Andrew Whitworth injured his knee and was unable to train this week. The left tackle won’t be able to play once morest the Bucs. In addition to Whitworth, Taylor Rapp is also in danger of dropping out. If the Rams lack safety once more, veteran Eric Weddle would probably have to play a few more snaps for Raheem Morris’ defense.
Buccaneers vs. Rams: Players to watch
Mike Evans (Wide Receiver, Buccaneers):
Godwin, Grayson and Perriman? All hurt. Brown? Dismiss. So there’s a good chance Evans will lead a wide receiver group made up of himself, Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson and Jaelon Darden once morest the Rams. Evans should have a correspondingly large responsibility. One problem: It is quite conceivable that the Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey will use Evans to take the hosts’ last remaining top receiver out of the game. In the first meeting between the two teams, Evans played big with eight catches for 106 yards. If he doesn’t perform like that this weekend, it might be a difficult task for the Bucs to enter the NFC Championship Game.
Aaron Donald (Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Rams):
Donald is the most dominant and consistent defensive lineman in the NFL. The 30-year-old can win games once morest both the pass and the run, and in the divisional round once morest the Cardinals he almost single-handedly destroyed their pass protection. Against Brady, whose play once morest pressure through the middle is one of his few weaknesses, another performance in this form by Donald would be worth its weight in gold. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year clearly has the class to keep Brady under constant pressure in the pocket, weakening the Bucs’ offense. A Jensen bet, which would face Donald directly in many snaps, would therefore be immensely important for the Bucs.
Buccaneers vs. Rams: That’s what matters
The Bucs should once more rely heavily on the quick-passing game once morest Los Angeles’ pass rush with Donald, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd – especially if Wirfs and Jensen should actually fail. With their receiving corps depleted, Tampa Bay might use its tight ends even more to attack the middle of the field. Los Angeles is vulnerable there, especially if Rapp has to pass once more due to injury. With their run game, the hosts might also slow down the opposing pass rush a little and thus take some pressure off Brady’s shoulders. Fournette’s return should help here, but without Jensen the Bucs might run into problems once morest Donald and Co. through the middle.
Meanwhile, many pairs of eyes are once once more turning to Matthew Stafford for the Rams. The quarterback undoubtedly has the class to attack the Bucs through the air, and in the teams’ first meeting Stafford delivered perhaps his best game of the season with 343 yards and four touchdowns. However, the 33-year-old is also prone to blunders. Against Tampa Bay, Stafford will have to reduce turnover as much as possible in order not to jeopardize his team’s progress. In addition, the duel on the line of scrimmage should be decisive: Los Angeles’ offensive line was one of the best in the NFL this season, but without Whitworth the unit might falter. The Bucs’ pass rush also appears to be regaining its stellar form from last season just in time for the playoffs.
Buccaneers vs. Rams: Prognose
In Tampa Bay, we can look forward to a very exciting and, on paper, extremely close encounter that might well be decided in the end by the injury question marks on both sides. Without Wirfs and Jensen, the failures on the Bucs offense seem to be one size too big – but you should never write off Brady’s offense completely. 30:31 Rams.