"We had a little team meeting the other day, and we decided that we needed to either be at .500 or one game above .500 right before the All-Star break," O'Neal said. "We've been playing pretty good team basketball, sharing the ball very well."

The Heat are only one winning streak away from soaring up the Eastern Conference standings despite their troubles ¡ª being without O'Neal for much of the first half of the season following knee surgery, Jason Williams' knee, foot and abdominal injuries and even the loss of coach Pat Riley because of knee and hip problems.

Entering Tuesday's games, the Heat were six games behind Detroit in the race for the East's No. 1 seed, and 5 1/2 games behind Washington in the Southeast Division standings.

"It is coming together at the right time," O'Neal said. "The good thing about this conference is that teams really haven't been that dominant."

Miami's post-All-Star-break schedule might give the Heat a chance to make a run, too.

The Heat plays four of their first five games on the road after the Feb. 18 All-Star Game in Las Vegas, including a trip to Dallas in another rematch of last season's NBA finals and a Feb. 28 game in Washington. Riley's return date is unknown, but it figures to be sometime around the All-Star break.

After that road swing, Miami plays eight of its next nine games at home, a stretch that could prove to be a major springboard into the postseason.

O'Neal expects to be at his best by then, too.

"I'm not in excellent shape yet," O'Neal said. "But I'm getting there."

Collectively, the Heat feel the same way.

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