NBA Playoffs 2019: Power ranking the first-round matchups

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 29: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons on January 29, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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BOSTON – MARCH 29: Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving (11) loses a loose ball to Indiana Pacers’ Thaddeus Young (21) during the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Indiana Pacers in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on March 29, 2019. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

5. Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers

When All-Star guard Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending ruptured quadriceps tendon in late January, the Indiana Pacers should have been dead in the water. Instead, they rallied around one another and stayed in the mix for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference until a difficult late-season stretch sent them down to No. 5.

The Boston Celtics are suddenly nursing their own injury issues, as defensive bulldog Marcus Smart is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks with a left oblique injury. In the Celtics’ four regular-season matchups against the Pacers, Smart spent much of his time guarding Oladipo (when healthy) and second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic.

Will Smart’s absence be enough to tip the scales in Indiana’s favor? Unlikely.

While the Pacers have a number of above-average rotation players, they lack the Celtics’ top-end talent with Oladipo sidelined. Al Horford should be able to battle Myles Turner to a standstill, but the Pacers don’t have the wing depth to match up against Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris and Gordon Hayward.

Boston may have an even larger advantage in the backcourt, as All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving averaged 19.3 points on 50.9 percent shooting in only 28.4 minutes during his four regular-season meetings against the Pacers. Terry Rozier has been woefully inconsistent this season, but his playoff heroics last year helped to put the Celtics within one game of the NBA Finals.

The Celtics have been a toxic cocktail of awful chemistry for most of the 2018-19 season, but the playoffs afford them the chance of a hard reset. Whether they can take advantage against Indiana may go a long way toward determining how far they ultimately advance.

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