The sneeze came from the back of a group of media members asking Heat center Alonzo Mourning about the dangers of infections and viruses.

"See, you got somebody sneezing here right now, and I'll probably catch that," Mourning said.

Mourning was smiling, but still aware of the danger around him, especially this time of year. The Miami center is recovering from the flu, which caused him to miss two games. Mourning, who was named to play in the All-Star Game, will start tonight against Tim Duncan and San Antonio, but will not be at full strength.

"I'm still a little out of sync physically," he said. "When your body's dealing with the flu or any type of virus, it puts your body out of whack a little bit. I was flowing at one point. It's just a matter of time and getting my body right again."

Time is what the Heat (16-28) do not have, especially after their slow start, which coincided with Mourning's recovery from a virus early in the season. He missed five games and needed another month to regain his strength.

This setback, he said, will not be as severe. The virus prevented him from eating or taking his kidney medication for two days. He has not missed his daily doses this week, and believes the recovery will be quick once he's off the antibiotics Saturday.

"I hate setbacks, especially when things are going well," Mourning said. "I can't turn this into a science. I've just got to deal with it and do the right thing."

Heat coach Pat Riley said Mourning could have played in Tuesday's overtime win at Denver, but the doctors suggested one more night of recovery.

"I just hope this is just a couple of games," Riley said. "The last time, I don't think he had a reservoir of energy. He was working on his conditioning and his game when he got sick."

Mourning takes about eight pills a day, and each is an immune suppressant, weakening his system and making him susceptible to viruses.

"That's the price you have to pay, but I'm not going to live my life in a bubble," he said.

Guard Eddie Jones, who said he may have spread the virus to Mourning after feeling sick early this week, said he and the rest of the Heat can't worry about contaminating Mourning.

"We don't look at it that way," Jones said. "Zo is out here. Zo is healthy. That's how we see him."

Noteworthy: Point guard Rod Strickland also spent the past two days recovering from the flu. Strickland will play, but is not expected to be 100 percent.