BOSTON — The bell for Round 2 of the playoffs clangs Monday night for the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics — or what's left of them.

It doesn't look like a postseason match-up as much as it does a demolition derby, a scratch-and-dent sale of a series.

This is no way to win a title, much less defend one.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the ridiculously rested Cavs' only worry is whether fingernail-biting LeBron James pulls a cuticle.

Missing stars and key components, the Magic and Celtics certainly are not all they could be at this critical juncture, a wounded, rising challenger facing a wobbly reigning champ.

Three starters — Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, Magic point guard Jameer Nelson and Magic shooting guard Courtney Lee — are unavailable, as is Celtics reserve Leon Powe.

Nonetheless, both clubs are trying to do more than salvage a season, each needing to go deeper into their rosters, sharing a sense of vulnerability and the great unknown.

Celtics Coach Doc Rivers will be more consumed coaxing jump-shots out of Brian Scalabrine than facing his former team as an Orlando resident. His Celtics dodged the Chicago Bulls and the Magic escaped the Philadelphia 76ers, the favored seeds merely surviving to move on.

"Who knows where exactly the margin (of victory) might come from in these games? You're going to have to be good everywhere," Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "There's no time to make excuses. We've got people down; they've got people down. You go out and play."

Thinner rosters put more pressure on the stars but also move role players onto the big stage and can expose a bench, especially in a foul-fest.

The freshest injury is to Lee, the Magic's starter who might not even suit up if it's an expedited series.

Lee's absence could create either the biggest mismatch or the greatest storyline for Orlando. J.J. Redick steps in for Lee — the better defender — and will have to guard Ray Allen, who looked like he was playing H-O-R-S-E in the classic seven-game shoot-out with the Bulls.

Van Gundy said he was torn between starting Redick or Mickael Pietrus — who has more size and quickness — against Allen. But here's the trickle-down effect of Lee's injury: The Magic are left with just two shooting guards and only 12 fouls between them. Van Gundy would rather Pietrus relieve Hedo Turkoglu, who'll have to cover Paul Pierce without fouling out in the first half.

Redick said that most of his teammates wanted the challenge of facing the defending champs, but he added, "I'm not going to say I want the challenge of guarding Ray Allen — that's bulletin-board material — but it's going to be tough. I know that."

Lee wasn't well enough to even watch his team practice Sunday and might not even make the trip to Boston. He had nasal cavity surgery last Thursday. Van Gundy said he might fly up today with the team doctor. "He still is not feeling real good, whether it's the anesthesia or the injury itself," Van Gundy said.

Orlando heads into the East semifinals with a shockingly different back-court of Redick and point guard Rafer Alston, Nelson's injury replacement in mid-February.

Alston has to handle Rajon Rondo, a match-up likely to be as telling as Redick vs. Allen.

The Magic could have the advantage at power forward, however, with Rashard Lewis working against Garnett's stand-in, young Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

The Magic and Celtics split their season series 2-2, and Lewis was about the only one who had success against Boston's physical defense. The Celtics held the Magic to 84.5 points — 16.5 points below their average. Lewis averaged 21.5 points while Dwight Howard (16.8 ppg) struggled against burly Kendrick Perkins' single coverage and Turkoglu shot just 35 percent. Alston shot 33 percent in two games.

"They've been a very difficult team for us to score on. I think we have an idea about how we need to go about that," Van Gundy said. "It's a lot easier on paper."

And it would be easier playing with a full deck. "If somebody gives me a game or points for having people out — spot us points — then that would be one thing," Van Gundy said. "We're well beyond worrying who's out."

Well, not entirely.

The Magic aren't totally ruling out a surprise comeback from knee woes by Garnett, even if Rivers compares the likelihood to a "Sasquatch" sighting. Van Gundy conceded that on Sunday, just in case, "We watched film on him."

Apparently, Sasquatch also is out with an injury to — wait for it — his big foot.