updated 11:04 p.m. ET Jan. 18, 2007

MIAMI - The Shaquille O’Neal comeback watch will continue for at least a few more days.

O’Neal, who’s recovering from surgery to repair torn left knee cartilage, will miss at least two more games before returning to the Miami Heat lineup, interim coach Ron Rothstein said.

He missed Miami’s home game Thursday night against Indiana and will not play when the Heat visits Philadelphia on Friday. The earliest he could come back is Sunday, when the Heat hosts Dallas in a rematch of last year’s NBA finalists, which Miami won in six games.

“Shaq is working out, feeling good, getting better day to day,” Rothstein said after the Heat’s shootaround Thursday morning. “That’s it. Case closed.”

Thursday’s game will be the 32nd O’Neal has missed since the Nov. 19 surgery. He took part in a full-contact, five-on-five workout Wednesday for the first time since the operation and said a decision on playing against the Pacers hinged on how his knee responded from that test.

Rothstein said O’Neal did not have a setback and was able to take part in the shootaround, but stressed the team is continuing to exercise caution. O’Neal will continue working out on a daily basis.

“Each individual knows when they’re ready,” Rothstein said. “He wants to play. You think he wants to do all those court drills? It’s much easier playing. But he’s not ready to play yet, in any sense. Confidence in the leg, conditioning, wind. ... You’ve got to remember, he’s 7-foot-1, 330 pounds. He’s a different individual.”

O’Neal was not available for comment Thursday morning.

When he returns, the Heat should have their full complement of regular-rotation players available for the first time since winning the NBA championship on June 20.

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O’Neal has played in only four games, none of those with point guard Jason Williams, who missed the season’s first seven games and five others since while continuing to recover from offseason knee surgery. Finals MVP Dwyane Wade also has missed six games with injuries.

“We understand as athletes that certain injuries to certain players take longer,” Wade said. “This is a knee injury to someone who weighs 300-some pounds. We know it’s going to take a little longer. We just want to make sure he comes back full strength. No matter how many games it takes, we know he’s going to be there with us when we have to make our run.”

After beating Indiana on Thursday, the Heat are 18-20, four games behind Washington in the Southeast Division standings and five games back of Cleveland for the top mark in the Eastern Conference.

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