"Physically I'm feeling really good, but you have no idea of the (expletive) that I go through, come in here and be Grade B or Grade A -- I'm a work in progress," said Garnett, who among his treatments receives massage and spends time in a therapeutic boot. "I just have to continue to do the things I've been (doing)."

In the two games heading into Charlotte, Garnett had hit 17 of 18 shots. He was 22-for-27 if you take it back a third game. Yet he has been spending far more time on his defense.

"I think that's it, because offense is second nature," he said. "I hate to say that, but since I've been in Boston my mentality has been defensive. When I was younger I had a lot more responsibility as far as playing the game. You have to come down and score at the end, you have to defend the other team's best player, make sure everyone has a solid shot.

"Here I'm just a piece in the defensive puzzle, and I'm thinking more defensively since I've been here. Since I stepped in and put the jersey on I'm more of a defensive player, and I like that. Offensively I'm sound, and when I'm not forcing the issue everything else just flows."

Despite his success with the ball, it has been a case of ignorance being bliss.

"I haven't even been thinking about the offense," Garnett said. "The offense is just something that's coming to me. I'm a flow player, and I'm trying to get guys shots and making it easy. I'm not pushing anything. Sometimes you get methodical, but I'm so defensively in tune, it's weird because I haven't even thought about offense."

As for his knee, Garnett said, "I'm trying to tell you, man, I don't even think twice about my leg."

CELTICS 108, BOBCATS 90: Ray Allen broke out with a season-high 27 points Tuesday night in Charlotte, and the Celts followed along to a blowout win. The Celts held their hosts to 39 points in the first half while scoring 62. "It was like the varsity against the JV," said Bobcats coach Larry Brown.