The Atlanta Hawks win 2 games in 1 day due to the first replay game since ’83 against the Heat

The Hawks got the defensive stop they wanted, two in fact, as they finally finished off the Miami Heat in the scoreless replayed 51.9 seconds of overtime of a game they won Dec. 19.

Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade missed a contested 3-pointer from the corner with 1.5 seconds to play that would have tied the game at 114-114. The rebound bounced long, and the Hawks ran out the clock, defeating the Heat for a second time in the same game, they won 117-111 in December.

“This isn’t the biggest win of the year; the next one will be,” said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who was on the bench for the replayed portion of the game, having fouled out in the original game. “We’ve got to get the next one.”

They did. The Hawks defeated the Heat in the regularly scheduled contest 97-94 as Joe Johnson matched a season high with 39 points.

In the first game, Mark Blount missed a turnaround jumper on the Heat’s first possession, and Johnson missed a driving layup on the ensuing Hawks possession.

The Hawks started the replayed game leading 114-111, in the exact same position they were in with 51.9 seconds to play on Dec. 19.

An error by the Hawks’ official scorer that night resulted in a protest that was filed and won by the Heat that forced both teams back to the court Saturday to replay those final 51.9 seconds.

Former Heat center Shaquille O’Neal was fouled out of the original game but actually had only five fouls when he was disqualified. He has since been traded, as have four Hawks players from that night.

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