"Center Jermaine O'Neal said last night he plans to visit a doctor in New York for a second opinion on his painful left knee Monday and will choose whether or not to have surgery by Tuesday.

The decision won't come easily. O'Neal said that as recently as yesterday afternoon he considered playing last night against the Bobcats at the Garden, a 99-94 Celts win.

But the C's have said he needs surgery — O'Neal won't get specific on the actual procedure — and that he likely would be out until the playoffs if it happens.

In coach Doc Rivers' opinion, an April return could mean the end of O'Neal's spot in the rotation, especially once the playoffs begin.

"Surgery could mean not playing again, and we're trying to figure out how we can get him on the floor, even if at the worst-case scenario the way it's been, where he plays four or five games (and then) has to sit out," Rivers said. "If the news comes back that surgery means two months or more, then that's basically it. Everyone thinks when you say two months, that means you play two months. No, that means you start working out in two months."