“He will score the ball,” Heath forward P. Jay Tucker said of Young. “This is a game. You see it that way. Treat the next game exactly the same way. Expect him to shoot a lot more and be much more aggressive, so we have to bring the same type of energy and even more. Because it will be better”. After averaging 31 points in Atlanta’s two play-off wins to finish No. 8, Yang finished Sunday with a low of 8 career points in a 1-on-12 shot (0-for-7 from 3) and had more caps (six) than assists (four). 8.3% of his shots equaled the worst goal percentage of his career – including regular season and playoffs – according to a survey by ESPN Stats & Information. The Hawks scored the first three points of the game, but it was all the Heat from there, with Miami leading by 32 points in the fourth quarter. The Hawks’ coach, Nate McMillan, aware of the rapid reversal from Friday’s victory in Cleveland until 13:00 local time on Sunday in Miami, pulled Young with two minutes and 34 seconds left in the third quarter and kept him in. bench for the rest of the games. game. “Miami played to another level,” McMillan said. “We have to get to another level. There is another level of intensity where you are locked in winning every possession. We have to execute and evaluate every possession in these games.” The Heat seemed convinced that they would see a better version of Young in Game 2 on Tuesday. “Listen, he’s going to make more than one shot,” said Kyle Lowry, who had 10 points and nine assists. “He will have more than four assists. He will explode. But we just have to be patient and stick to what we are doing.” Miami, which finished fourth in the NBA in the defensive standings during the regular season, used plans for a change in Young in an attempt to neutralize him when Atlanta tried to release him by placing screens in his main defense. The Heat’s defense was strengthened by the return of Bam Adebayo, a long-time defensive player of the year who overcame a recent COVID-19 match to play for the first time since April 8. “Keep him ahead,” explained Jimmy Butler, who scored 21 points in a 9-15 shot when asked about Miami’s strategy in Young. “It constantly breaks down the defenses and forces you to help, and if you do not help it is a lay-off. [or] is a floater. And if you help, he hits the right guy every time [with a pass]. “I think we did a great job not committing a foul and we just moved our legs and stayed in front of him.” The Heat changed 21 times against Young in Game 1, according to Second Spectrum, allowing 0.8 points per direct selection. During the regular season, Yang averaged 0.96 points per direct selection against all opposing defenses against him, showing Miami’s experience in this division on Sunday. “He’s all hands on deck,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about the departure of Caleb Martin as Young’s main defender, as the Heat did in the regular season, and alternating the squad on Sunday. . “What is required.” Young acknowledged the fatigue caused by this program, but admitted that Miami’s defense played a factor in equalizing his own low points for the second-highest three-pointers he has attempted in an unmarked game. “You certainly feel the heavy legs, but you have to praise them,” Yang said. “They came out aggressive, they came out with a lot of energy.” This is exactly the approach the Heat expect from Young in a bounce attempt. “You better be on the sidelines,” Spoelstra said. “You have to be on the edge. This team can really score in batches. Obviously Trae Young can just light up at any time. So if you relax anywhere, suddenly a pair hits, it can turn into a lot more. to respect it. “And our kids have that respect, but even with respect, even being on the edge, he’s still capable. So we just have to be ready for Game 2 and somehow erase that. memory and maintain that advantage. “ Young, who led Atlanta to a surprise in the conference finals as the No. 5 seed last year when the Hawks went 1-0 up against future champion Milwaukee Bucks before losing the series to six, said the experience is a a reminder of how dynamic a cradle can be. “You have to win four games to win a series, you do not win one and you win them all,” Yang said. “If that were the case, we would be in the Finals last year.”
