When Shaquille O'Neal returned to Miami's lineup after recovering from knee surgery, he was asked when the struggling Heat needed to regain their championship form. O'Neal got right to the point.

"Not next month. Not next week. Not tomorrow," O'Neal said. "Now."

Miami Heats Shaquille O'Neal shoots over Charlotte Bobcats' Jake Voskuhl during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb 5, 2007, in Miami. The Heat won 113-93. [AP]

So far, he's getting his wish.

Things are not exactly wonderful for the Heat these days, not with the team still two games below .500 (23-25) with 34 games remaining and hanging onto the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

But a four-game winning streak certainly has made Miami's situation look considerably less dire, and it's probably little coincidence that the last three of those victories came with O'Neal looking better than he has at any point this season.

He's logged 70 minutes in those games, scoring 58 points ¡ª a remarkable pace. O'Neal needed only 21 minutes to score 22 points Monday, in Miami's 113-93 win over Charlotte.

"We have been anticipating Shaq coming back for a while," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "We knew it was going to take him time to get back into form. He is getting back quicker than a lot of us expected. Early on, we are trying to use him as much as possible. He is doing a great job with passing out of the post and getting guys open shots."

Miami goes for a season-high fifth straight win Wednesday in Boston, against a Celtics team that carried a 14-game losing streak into a Tuesday matchup at Detroit.

Should the Heat win Wednesday, the defending NBA champions would have a chance to get back to the .500 mark at Cleveland on Friday; Miami hasn't been .500 since Nov. 12, when it was 3-3.

1

2