The Indiana Pacers will be forced to play Game 3 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics without the presence of Victor Oladipo. Of course, it's not like Nate McMillan's team was going to glean anything more than fleeting inspiration from its best player being in attendance on Friday night anyway.

Oladipo, sidelined since late January by a season-ending injury, was finally cleared by doctors to travel earlier this week, and had plans to be at Banker's Life Fieldhouse for Game 3. Unfortunately, inclement weather has prevented him from making the trip to Indianapolis from Miami.

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Victor Oladipo suffered a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee during a 110-106 win over the Toronto Raptors on January 23rd. He was ruled out for the season's remainder shortly thereafter, undergoing corrective surgery on January 29th.

Most assumed the Pacers' playoff hopes were over when Oladipo went down. Instead, Indiana rung up six straight victories in early February, cementing itself as a likely postseason participant despite the absence of its best player. Unfortunately, the team's struggles down the stretch of the regular season have thus far extended to the playoffs, where they've failed to create efficient offense on an even semi-consistent basis against the Celtics.

Oladipo, acquired in the trade for Paul George in the summer of 2017, defied expectations to become an All-Star during his first season with the Pacers. He hadn't quite reached that level this season before going down with injury, averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from deep.