Celtics get a second chance to put away 76ers

After losing Game 4 on the road, the Celtics attempt to close out the series Wednesday night at home, where they are 6-0 in the playoffs.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting at home, resting up for another appearance in the Eastern Conference finals.

 One win away from joining them for a rematch, the Celtics have a chance to get a little time off as well before trying to end James’ seven-year reign in the East with the Miami Heat and the Cavaliers.

 To make that happen, the Celtics will need to close out the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round on Wednesday night at the TD Garden (8:05, TV: TNT; radio: WBZ-98.5 FM), something they were unable to do with a sweep on Monday.

 After winning the first three games of the series, the Celtics gave themselves plenty of breathing room, but the margin with get a lot slimmer if they can’t finish off the Sixers in Game 5, necessitating a trip back to Philadelphia on Friday.

 If the Celtics can conclude the series at home, they would be back on the parquet floor on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. to face the Cavaliers in Game 1.

 The day after being handed a 103-92 Game 4 loss, the Celtics gathered for a film session in Waltham, looking for answers to what went wrong in their first potential close-out game with the 76ers.

 Things got physical, and the Sixers got the better of the Celtics, who are back home where they are 6-0 in the postseason.

 “They were clearly the more physical team last night,’’ said coach Brad Stevens during a Tuesday afternoon conference call. “There’s no question about it. They did a great job of establishing that early. They posted a number of different guys up and were very good down there, led to points in the paint, fouls, etc.’’

 The Celtics were in foul trouble with four players having three each in the first half. Rookie Jayson Tatum picked up two quick ones early, and the Celtics couldn’t stop the Sixers’ inside game.

 “That’s two games in a row,’’ said Stevens of the foul problems. “That’s something we really need to be alert to. There are things that we think we can do better technically with being more prepared, being in a stance, being down and ready earlier, making contact earlier, those type of things. Clearly, there’s some matchups that we’ll look at.’’

 The 76ers had 52 points in the paint and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds as the Celtics had no answer for what was going on.

 “They were an outstanding offensive rebounding coming into our series,’’ said Stevens. “That’s a huge emphasis. I guess we could do a couple of hours of more rebounding drills, but I don’t think that would be all that smart at this time of year.

 “I think we have to do a better job of keeping the ball in front of us. We have to be more alert to their cutters. We just have to make contact earlier -- easier said than done.’’

 The insertion of guard T.J. McConnell (19 points, seven rebounds, five assists) into the starting lineup to replace Robert Covington was a huge boost for the Sixers. McConnell will assume that role again in Game 5 as the 76ers hope he keeps providing a spark.

 “He was a tough guy,’’ said Stevens. “He’s a heck of a basketball player and obviously we didn’t do a great job of defending him, and his impact was tremendous.’’

 The Celtic may be without another guard from the rotation in Game 5. Shane Larkin exited Monday night with a shoulder injury after running into a pick set by Joel Embiid.

 He was scheduled to undergo tests on Tuesday, but Stevens said he would not have an update on Larkin’s status until the morning shoot-around on Wednesday.

 “He’s been a big part of our postseason success, for sure,’’ said Stevens. “He’s done a great job whenever called upon. Obviously, he’ll guard any number of their guards, but he chasing around (JJ) Redick a lot for us. We’ll see how he is. I’m getting more updates as the day goes on.’’

 The Sixers played like a desperate team to avoid the sweep and found the formula to finally get a win in the series.

 Now, it will be up to the Celtics to respond at home, knowing that another loss will suddenly make things very interesting.

 “They are obviously going to come out aggressive and we have to come out the same way,’’ said Al Horford at his Game 4 press conference. “We have to protect our home. They did what they were supposed to do. We have to go home and protect ours.’’

 Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.