The Toronto Raptors are rolling. The Cleveland Cavaliers are getting a second wind. The Philadelphia 76ers are gaining more confidence. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics — no thanks to Kyrie Irving's health — are hurting.

Irving has missed the Celtics' last five games due to his ailing knee; the same knee that the All-Star point guard allegedly used to threaten the Cleveland Cavaliers by undergoing a major procedure if they didn't heed his trade demand.

Now, he's set to receive a second opinion before making any drastic decision on the status of his knee. This has been a huge setback for the Celtics. After looking like legitimate threats to the Golden State Warriors early in the season, an assortment of injuries has bothered the team as of late.

Irving was looking like an MVP contender at some point in the campaign. Unfortunately, things could go further south for one of the NBA's most feared offensive weapons — something which a few members of the Celtics organization fear.

According to FOX Sports' Chris Broussard during an appearance on FS1's The Herd:

“I will say this: There is some sentiment within the Celtics organization—let's see what happens with the second opinion—that possibly, this is far from definite and I don't want to sound the alarm, but possibly, this could put his season in jeopardy. If that's the case, then [general manager] Danny Ainge is looking more at, ‘You know what, if it's the case, we'll rest him now.' Don't push him through this season just to have him play in the playoffs when the knee's not really right. Let's get him healthy, and then he and [Gordon] Hayward come back next season. Now, I'm not saying that’s gonna happen. I'm just saying there is some thinking that let's see what happens with this.”

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From the looks of it, the blockbuster trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Celtics was, all along, centered on Isaiah Thomas' hip and Kyrie Irving's knee.

Although the Celtics are gifted with solid depth and are guided by the brilliance of head coach Brad Stevens, Irving's wealth of experience and elite skills will be much more important when the antes have been upped in April, May and, as Celtics fans hope, June.