Celtics return home looking to regain series lead

LeBron James is looming large in the Eastern Conference finals with a pivotal Game 5 Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

He opened the Eastern Conference finals a week and a half ago with a rare sub-par performance in a lopsided loss.

 LeBron James missed 11 of 16 shots, was 0 for 5 from 3-point range and was limited to 15 points as the Celtics routed his Cleveland Cavaliers by 25 points in Game 1.

 Since that rough start, James has been nothing short of brilliant, averaging 37.7 points on 41 for 69 shooting, including 9 for 18 on 3-pointers while getting nine assists and 6.7 rebounds per game.

 That misstep that James had in the opener has faded away in the rear-view mirror, and he has led the way as the Cavaliers have pulled even, 2-2, after dropping a pair of games by double digits last week in Boston.

 The Celtics return to TD Garden for Game 5 tonight (8:30, TV: ESPN; radio: WBZ-98.5 FM) hoping their postseason success at home can revive them after a wasted trip to Cleveland where they lost control of the series.

 The Cavaliers, on the other hand, find themselves in a best-of-three series with the game’s best player on their side.

 So many things went wrong for the Celtics in their losses to the Cavaliers, but James is in the spotlight, opening things up for others and taking control every time the need arises.

 “LeBron is the best player this generation and he’s just maintained that because of his commitment to improvement,’’ said Celtics coach Brad Stevens during a Tuesday afternoon conference call. “He’s always been an unbelievable physical player, he’s always been a savvy player and he’s always had just like the natural instincts to make the right basketball play along with a tremendous skill set.

 “What’s really, I think, just has taken him to a whole different level is obviously the experience of having played in so many of these situations and being able to read everything that’s going on around the court, but being able to shoot the jump shot at the level and rate that he can now.

 “When I first came in the league (in 2013-2014), a lot of teams were going under him (and letting him shot outside) and you can’t do that and feel good about it over a seven-game series. You may mix that in occasionally because it might be the lesser of two evils as we said before, but at the end of the day, he’s too good to do it. It’s a testament to him and his work and that’s why it’s so fun to get a chance to compete against him.’’

 James had 42 points in a Game 2 loss, scoring 21 in the first quarter alone, and had 44 on Monday night in the Game 4 win.

 He is only the fourth player in the past 40 years to have multiple 40-point games against the Celtics in a playoff series, joining Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan and Bernard King. James has six games of at least 40 games in the postseason this spring, leaving him two shy of the record (eight by Jerry West in 1965, followed by Michael Jordan with seven in 1989).

 James has been getting himself matched up with smaller players, such as Terry Rozier, during pick-and-roll situations and has been picking the Celtics apart.

 “We did some different things in the second half,’’ said Stevens. “We’ll continue to mix it up. But at the end of the day, we didn’t feel like that’s what beat us. It goes back to the offense and the transition.

 “LeBron’s going to score some on anybody and you have to make it as tough as possible. There were some plays that I think we can do a better job of making it more difficult and avoiding that matchup, but it’s going to happen some.

 “That’s part of the poison because there’s such great 3-point shooters around him and if you get running around too much or unorganized that’s when they just spray those threes on you and then you have no chance. It’s a fine line, it’s a balance.’’

 Stevens said the Celtics need to be more efficient on offense (after missing more than a dozen dunks and layups in Game 4) and limit the Cavaliers in transition as part of their strategy to rebound from what happened in Cleveland.

 “Sometimes you get that way when you’re behind so much,’’ said Stevens of the Celtics rushing their offense. “You try to hit home runs and try to do that kind of stuff. Obviously you’re playing against the best of the best on a great stage.

 “I thought we did get hurried a little bit, but Cleveland had something to do with that and we had something to do with that. We have to be better. You can say it till your blue in the face, play with poise, find the best shot, continue to move on to the next possession. But there are times where everybody succumbs to get rushed.’’

 Now, they are back at the Garden, a place where the Celtics are 9-0 in the playoffs. They are scoring more points at home (110.1-94.4) and shooting at a higher percentage (47.1-40.8, including 38.7-30.6 from 3-point range) on the parquet floor as opposed to the road.

 Two more wins at the Garden would send the Celtics to the NBA Finals next week, but there is a very large obstacle standing in their way in James.

 “Make it as hard as you can,’’ said Stevens on how to defend James. “That’s all you can do. Make it as hard as you can.’’

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