Ouch! News Boston Celtics

All Boston Celtics fans had to be in a panic about the possibility of a lost season with about one minute remaining in the first half of Thursday night's game against the Utah Jazz . Well, at least the die-hards who were still watching the game about midnight Eastern time. (Thanks, TNT). Boston's best all-around player, power forward Kevin Garnett, had just limped off the EnergySolutions court and, in obvious pain, gone straight to the locker room. The Celtics' dreams of becoming the first back-to-back NBA champions since the 2002 Lakers finished a three-peat would certainly be dashed if Garnett was out with a season-ending injury.

Celtics fans, however, had to breathe a major sigh of relief when Garnett limped back on the court and began warming up for the second half of the close game. But as much as K.G. wanted to continue on against the Jazz, he couldn't, and he missed the remainder of the game, which Utah rallied to win. It wasn't the only game action Garnett will miss, either. With his teammates in Phoenix for today's game against the Suns, Garnett was sent back to Boston for evaluation on Friday. MRI test results on Saturday indicate that he will be out for approximately three weeks with a strained muscle behind his right knee. It could have been much worse, of course. If all goes well, Garnett will return in plenty of time for the stretch run and the playoffs. One thing he won't do, though, is try to come back too early. "We need to have (Garnett) healthy in the playoffs," said Boston coach Doc Rivers. "That's the way we look at it ... If they don't tell me he's close to 100 percent, he won't play." Boston, now 44-12, is neck-and-neck with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the Eastern Conference and right on the heels of the Lakers for the best record in the league as well. Having Garnett out for the next three weeks will almost certainly hurt the defending champs' playoff seeding. But that's not going to force Boston to push Garnett to come back too early. "Obviously, we need Kevin, but we're going to be smart about this," said Rivers. "I'm not going to jeopardize the season to try to squeeze out a couple more wins. I'd rather see what we can do without him for a few games, try to get him healthy and go from there." Paul Pierce, the Celtics' All-Star swingman, agrees. "The most important thing is just trying to get healthy going into the playoffs," said Pierce. "We want (Garnett) to take his time and not kill himself to get back in the regular season. If we don't have home-court advantage in the playoffs, so be it. We'll just have to find a way to get it done." Garnett missed 11 games last season, his first with Boston, and three earlier this year, so the Celtics have some experience playing without him. "It's important that guys understand what it means when a guy (like Garnett) goes down," said Boston guard Ray Allen. "It doesn't necessarily mean that a guy will have to step in and score 18 to 20 points per game now. It just means that we just have to be more focused and make extra plays as a team. Whoever gets the minutes, it will be up to all of us to share the load." Many other playoff-caliber clubs, meanwhile, understand what the Celtics are now going through. It seems more than any other NBA season in memory, All-Star caliber players are missing considerable chunks of time. Houston's Tracy McGrady, for instance, is out for the season with a knee injury. Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire will likely miss the next two months after having eye surgery on Friday. Orlando can relate, too, as point guard Jameer Nelson ? in the midst of his first All-Star season ? will miss the rest of the year with a shoulder injury, which may kill the Magic's dark-horse chance of winning the title. The Philadelphia 76ers know all about disappointing injuries, too. Elton Brand was brought in hopes of turning the Sixers into a contender, but the former All-Star power forward is also out for the season with a bad shoulder. The list of injured stars could go on and on. San Antonio's Manu Ginobili (ankle), Dallas' Jason Terry (hand), Indiana's Danny Granger (foot), the Lakers' Andrew Bynum (knee), and Milwaukee's Michael Redd (knee) and Andrew Bogut (back) are just a few others who are currently missing action. Then there are the poor Washington Wizards fans, who have been cheering for a team that hasn't had its best player, Gilbert Arenas, all year due to a knee injury. And that's on the heels of Agent Zero missing almost all of last season, too. Of course, there won't be much sympathy from Utah Jazz loyalists. Utah began the year with its Olympian point guard Deron Williams out with an ankle sprain. And then, just about the time Williams got back into the lineup, All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer pulled up lame. Boozer is now practicing, but he still isn't quite back following knee surgery. The Jazz have also had other various injuries to all of its other players as well, making the team's 32-24 record entering Saturday night's home game against the Hornets actually quite amazing. The good news is that Utah heads into the final two months of the regular season in their best health of the season. Garnett, Ginobili, Boozer, Bynum and others are expected to be back ready to play in plenty of time for the playoffs. Still, you can't help but think that the team that will end up winning this year's NBA title will be the one that wins the war of attrition by staying the healthiest. E-mail: lojo@desnews.com