Kevin Garnett-Less Celtics To Take On Amar'e Stoudemire-Less Suns

The biggest question heading into this matchup: which injury hurts more?

The No-KG Effect

Boston's Kevin Garnett was diagnosed late last week with a right knee strain that will keep him out of action for 2-3 weeks.  That's the kind of untimely, just-long-enough-to-be-bothersome injury that had Celtics' pundits concerned ever since the talented, albeit over-30, Boston Three Party was assembled last year.

Garnett's absence will be felt mostly on the defensive end. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is also the team's motivator when it comes to defense. Will the Celtics play strong enough "D" without Garnett keeping them together after the ball is tossed?

At the very least, he'll be encouraging them vehemently from the sidelines.

Seeing it through sans-STAT

Phoenix is trying to readjust its court-vision after losing Amare Stoudemire for the rest of the regular season, possibly even longer, after the All-Star forward underwent eye surgery last week to repair a partially torn retina.

As opposed to Garnett's presence on the defensive end, the Suns will miss Stoudemire on offense, where he had once again become a feared factor with new head coach Alvin Gentry allowing the team to run like only the Suns can.  Stoudemire's ability to finish on the pick-and-roll, trail on the break, and score in traffic is unable to be duplicated by any other Phoenix player.

His rebounding will also be missed. Critics point out he should have been grabbing more than the 8.1 RPG he snagged before his surgery, but remember, Shaquille O'Neal was also eating up space while claiming his own 8.9 RPG.

Two out of three enough?

Boston will rely on their remaining All-Stars, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, to carry the scoring load. Pierce will get his 20-plus. If Allen gets hot from the outside, Phoenix will be hard-pressed to stop him without a defensive ace to check him on the perimeter.

A potential X-factor is Celtics' reserve guard Eddie House. House has finally found a home in Boston, as has his previously wandering jump shot. Its extremely possible that he may be extra motivated, and therefore extra productive, playing at Phoenix, where he played in the 2005-06 season.  After averaging a career-high 9.8 PPG as a Sun, he felt underused in the Suns' playoff run to the conference finals that year.

Combine that with the fact he's a former ASU Sun Devil, and there may be a House party in Phoenix.

"Sun" rhymes with "run"

Gentry has truly inherited some of his philosophy from former coach Mike D'Antoni; when you're in trouble, run faster and smaller.

That mindset proved successful against league doormats like the Clippers and Thunder last week (Phoenix scored at least 140 points in all three of their games). Boston, even without Garnett, is a different animal.

Phoenix, however, is one of the few teams that may be able to withstand an injury of Stoudemire's magnitude thanks to its multiple offensive threats.  Guards Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa will be able to fulfill their massive scoring potential, instead of deferring to Stoudemire on the offensive end. Phoenix still has O'Neal, Matt Barnes, Grant Hill, and Steve Nash to round out the firing squad.

At the very least, it will be entertaining to watch. Up until All-Star Weekend, you couldn't say that about Phoenix this year.

Outlook

Boston's support group for their Big Three is decent at best. Without Garnett's all-around production as well as defensive motivation, they have to hope Pierce or Allen go off in a big way.

Phoenix will run, and hope that Boston's defense does indeed falter under the onslaught.

Between the confidence the Suns have gotten after an explosive week and it being Boston's first game of an unexpected stretch without Garnett, Phoenix will prevail on their home floor.

Prediction: Suns 117, Celtics 99