Dwyane & Shaq 2gether again

Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal will be in the starting lineup together tonight against the Bulls for just the fourth time since the All-Break.

Understandably, they're chemistry continues to be a work in progress.

Wade said there are times when he's uncertain how aggressive he needs to be offensively when he and O'Neal are on the court. Wade deferred to O'Neal early in Game 1, and O'Neal responded with 10 points in the first quarter and 17 in the first half before he was limited by foul trouble.

Wade scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 96-91 loss to the Bulls. Injuries throughout the season have prevented Wade (wrist, shoulder) and O'Neal (knee, calf) from spending much time together on the court. The two have combined to miss 70 games because of injuries.

Wade said he would rather get O'Neal going early and rely on his own offense late in games. Finding that balance has been difficult at times.

''It's something I go through back and forth,'' Wade said. ``I try not to be too aggressive [early]. I try to be patient. When it's time to be aggressive, be aggressive. But that's not the easiest thing in the world. I feel like I can get a shot at any time.''

At times, O'Neal has questioned why his role in the offense diminishes late in games, particularly when he's not in foul trouble. There were several games late in the regular season when O'Neal was effective and aggressive in the first half and nearly nonexistent in the fourth quarter. O'Neal said one problem was that perimeter players were settling for too many long jumpers.

''I'm very unselfish, so when I kick it out, we have to mix it up more,'' said O'Neal, who attempted just four field goals in the second half Saturday. ``They [Bulls] were jamming the post, and I really don't like to force shots. We have to do a better job, whether that's kicking it back in or hitting open shots.''

Heat coach Pat Riley said O'Neal continues to get plenty of ''touches'' throughout the game and disputes that the offense gradually shifted away from him in Game 1.

''He had 38 touches in 24 minutes,'' Riley said. ``We're running out whole offense through him. You can say whatever you want to say. He's the guy that brought us here, that's helped us get a championship, that's made us what we are.''