This was what the Miami Heat needed when they needed it, Sunday’s 115-91 victory at FTX Arena.

Not to necessarily set a tone in this best-of-seven opening-round NBA playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Not to necessarily stomp on an opponent that had survived the play-in round just 39 hours earlier.

And not to necessarily validate the offseason makeover that brought in Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker among others.

But to simply remove the stench of being swept out of the playoffs in last season’s first round by the Milwaukee Bucks and remind again of the possibilities of a franchise that advanced to the 2020 NBA Finals.

And what the statement it was, never allowing Trae Young to find his way in a game effectively decided in the first half.

“They got swept here last year,” Young said, “so they came out with a different energy.”

So on to Tuesday’s Game 2 it is, after getting a career playoff-high 27 points from Duncan Robinson, 21 from Jimmy Butler, 16 from Tucker, as well as nine assists from Lowry and solid inside play from Bam Adebayo.

“It’s always nice to throw the first punch,” Robinson said, “but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just the first game.

For Young? Pure misery created by a Heat defense that limited him to 1-of-12 shooting and eight points, his lowest output of the season and only the third time in his career he was limited to a single basket.

“Miami played on another level,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “We talked about that in our locker room, that in the playoffs there’s another level you have to get to.”

It was the Heat’s first victory in their home arena since the 2016 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors, with all of their 2020 playoff success coming in the Disney World quarantine bubble.

“It was an incredible atmosphere,” Robinson said, “which I certainly wasn’t surprised by … outside of showing up a little bit late, which is what you get in Miami.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:

1. Attack mode: After a miserable 2021 postseason led to a humbling offseason, Butler came out in attack mode.

In his case, the numbers told only a part of the story.

Instead, it was an aggressive bent from the outset, filling the box score while also setting up teammates.

“Just find a way to compete,” Butler said of his playoff mindset.

He closed 9 of 15 from the field, with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

“We’re just focusing on how we can go up two zero,” Butler said. “This is, like as Spo calls it, the purest form of competition.”

2. Robinson in reserve: When it comes to the NBA’s Sixth Man Award, that remains the Heat province of Tyler Herro.

But when it comes to the postseason, Robinson appears poised for his own bench statement.

Having been replaced in the starting lineup a month ago in favor of Max Strus, Robinson closed 9 of 10 from the field, including 8 of 9 on 3-pointers.

“The beautiful thing about this time of year,” Robinson said, “is you just have to lock in to what is in front of you.”

The eight 3-pointers set a franchise record, breaking the record of seven he previously shared with Mike Miller and Damon Jones.

“Just focusing on what I can do to help us win,” Robinson said.

Or, as Butler said, “We saw the confident Duncan.”

The Heat needed Robinson’s bench boost, with Herro closing with six points on 3-of-11 shooting.

3. His time: Having been part of the Bucks’ roster that ousted the Heat in last season’s first round of the playoffs on the way to Milwaukee’s championship, Tucker offered a reminder of his postseason value.

This time it meant 11 third-quarter points, when he shot 4 of 5 from the field, all while maintaining his lockdown defense.

He closed 6 of 8 from the field, with five rebounds.

“He’s just such a winning player. He just does so many intangibles,” said Spoelstra, who practically gushed about Tucker’s defense. “He was like our linebacker, just getting everybody to the right spots.

“We all follow him. Whatever he says is the truth.”

Tucker, who had missed last Sunday’s season finale in Orlando with a calf strain, said he in no way was sated by last season’s title.

“Same hunger, same intensity, if not more,” he said. “It makes you hungrier, it makes you fight for more, because you know what it feels like.”

4. True to form: Just as Spoelstra played it at the end of the regular season, he remained true to that rotation in the playoff opener.

That had Strus in the starting lineup, alongside Butler, Adebayo, Lowry and Tucker.

It also had Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, Robinson and Gabe Vincent as the first round out of the bench.

As was the case when the Heat were whole at the end of the regular season, that meant Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris being out of at least the initial playoff mix.

It also had Caleb Martin out of the initial nine.

5. Numbers game: Lowry attempted, as would be expected of a veteran, to add perspective.

“Every single game is a different game in the playoffs,” he said of the magnitude of the blowout. “We did what we were supposed to do.”

Still, the Heat have won 13 of the past 15 series they have led 1-0.

Game 2 is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at FTX Arena, before moving on to Games 3 and 4 at State Farm Arena on Friday and then Sunday.

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