"When Jermaine O'Neal landed on his left wrist after taking a charge in the first game of the postseason against the Knicks, the center later described the injury as "a minor tear."

Not quite, as it turned out.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said yesterday O'Neal, who actually played with a fracture the rest of the way, will need offseason wrist surgery.

"He needs some serious surgery on his left wrist," Ainge said during yesterday's session with the media. "He's left-handed. He dunks and finishes and drives with his left hand. He blocks shots. But after the first game of the playoffs his left wrist was fractured, and he needs surgery. There will be pins put in his wrist. Our guys wanted it, and I'll never question that. He was taking a charge and landed on his wrist and broke it."

Ainge said despite the wide assortment of injuries plaguing the Celtics by the time they were eliminated Wednesday night in Miami, there are no other expected surgeries. That includes Rajon Rondo, who dislocated his left elbow in Game 3 and played the entire Miami series with a sore back."