NBA Playoffs 2012 Predictions: Stage Set for Celtics to Sweep Hawks in 1st Round

The Celtics were one of the fortunate teams to draw a good matchup in the playoffs—good enough to help them get out of the first round nice and quick.

The fourth-seeded Celtics face the fifth-seeded Hawks in Game 1 of first-round postseason series on Sunday, and without All-Star center Al Horford, the Hawks' playoff dreams have been substantially diminished.

All season, Horford has struggled to overcome a pectoral muscle injury. He's played in just 11 games, leaving Joe Johnson and Josh Smith to pick up the slack. In addition to losing Horford, the Hawks could also be without Zaza Pachulia, who is questionable with a foot injury.

Smith has been great for Atlanta, averaging 18.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, while Johnson has chipped in 18.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists. But without Horford or Pachulia up front, the Hawks are left with Jason Collins, who's played in 30 games this season, and Erick Dampier behind him, who's played in two.

If the Hawks don't have anyone up front to limit Kevin Garnett, that's just about all the Celtics could ask for.

As Boston has seen in the last couple of years, having a healthy KG and a healthy Rajon Rondo is the difference between success and failure. Obviously, Paul Pierce is just as important as the two of them, but two out of three is not good enough. All of them need to be healthy enough to have an impact if the Celtics are going to be formidable enough to win.

Right now, they are.

Since Garnett moved to center, his production has been increasing and head coach Doc Rivers has been able to utilize him for shorter spurts in order to maximize his impact. Although Ray Allen is in danger of missing the game because of an ankle injury, Avery Bradley has filled in admirably at the 2, contributing 16.3 points per game.

It may not be the same Big Three—or Big Four—that the Celtics have been used to putting on the court in recent years, but it's a good enough group to take down the injury-riddled Hawks in short succession.