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Heat, Hawks square off in possible playoff preview

Feb 27, 2009 - 11:21 AM Miami (30-26) at Atlanta (32-25) 7:30 p.m. EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The more days pass and the closer to the end of the regular season it gets, the more it looks like the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks will square off in the opening round of the playoffs. In that eventuality, what's left to be determined is home-court advantage.

The Southeast Division rivals are within a game-and-a-half of one another as they get set to square off on Friday for a pivotal Eastern Conference showdown.

However, the way these clubs have been playing lately, anything past a first-round victory may not be part of the equation. Coming off a rough January, the Hawks have dropped three in a row and have yet to regain the momentum they had through much of the first two months of the season.

The Heat, meanwhile, haven't been able to put together consecutive wins since late January while still keeping their heads above the .500 waters.

The clubs have split their first two meetings, with two more yet to go. The Hawks won a December 12 date in Miami, as Joe Johnson went for 21 points and Miami was held to 39 percent shooting.

A month and a half later, the Heat got revenge on their home floor, as Dwyane Wade scored 35 points to lift his team to a 95-79 triumph.