Tony Battie underwent surgery Thursday at New England Baptist Hospital to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.

The Celtics center was expected to begin physical therapy yesterday. Recovery should take 4-6 weeks. The operation was performed by team doctor Arnold Scheller.

Throughout the season, Battie was bothered by a sore and swollen knee. The torn meniscus (cartilage) was at the root of the problem, though Battie played through the injury. He was unable to practice much during the regular season. He also needed to take time off after back-to-back sets and could not complete stretches of four games in five nights.