By Marty Gitlin
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Who would have figured two weeks ago that WagerWeb.com would declare the Miami Heat just a 2.5-point favorite in Atlanta?

Nobody.

But there it was for Saturday night's game in black and white for three reasons:

1. The Heat are off to a stunningly slow start.

2. The Hawks are off to a surprisingly strong start.

3. Shaquille O'Neal is now out for at least a month with torn cartilage in his left knee.

And that last one is going to translate into odds for games involving the defending NBA champions that no one could have expected.

Just ask the Knicks, another lowly team (like the Hawks) with a better early-season record than the Heat. New York destroyed the Shaqless Heat, 100-74, Friday night. Miami is last in the NBA offensively at 88.8 points a game and in point differential at minus-11.0.

"If Shaquille O'Neal was playing [Friday], it would have been a different game," said Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, putting in his nomination for Understatement of the Year.

Heat coach Pat Riley, however, complained more bitterly about his team's lack of defensive effort.

"We didn't sustain anything, so I can't explain this at all," he said. "I can't remember this in the years I've been here. Getting beat so badly at home with a good team."

The O'Neal injury leaves Miami with aging Alonzo Mourning as the starting center and 29-year-old journeyman Michael Doleac as the backup. Mourning is still serviceable, but will likely not be nearly as effective playing 25-30 minutes a game. It will allow opposing offenses freedom to drive to the basket and work down low while defenses will be freed to concentrate on and double-team Dwyane Wade.

The simultaneous return of point guard Jason Williams will help. He had eight points and three assists in 18 minutes against the Knicks. But the Heat must find a way quickly to emerge from their funk without O'Neal. They play eight of their next 11 games on the road.

Bettors considered Miami the team to beat in the Eastern Conference prior to the season. The Heat are now listed at +$1350 (13.5-1) to win the NBA title. Teams that couldn't reach the third round of the playoffs such as Cleveland (8-1), Houston (13-1) and the Los Angeles Clippers (12-1) now have lower odds to take the crown according to WagerWeb.com.

O'Neal is scheduled to undergo surgery next week. He suffered the injury on a collision with New Jersey center Nenad Krstic on Nov. 3, then aggravated it last Sunday when he bumped knees with Houston forward Chuck Hayes.

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