BOSTON — Heading into Game 5 down 3-1 to the Celtics, there’s only one item on the Sixers’ to-do list.
“Just survive,” JJ Redick said before shootaround. “That's all it's about. It's a very simple thing.”
The Sixers fended off elimination with a 103-92 victory in Game 4 at the Wells Fargo Center. Wednesday night they enter TD Garden where the Celtics are 6-0 this postseason, including wins in the first two games of this Eastern Conference Semifinals series.
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“Boston's fans are really loud,” T.J. McConnell said. “It's a good fanbase. We've got to try to take them out of the game by kind of going on our own little run in the beginning and sustaining it after that.”
The Sixers are on the quest to become the first of 129 NBA teams to capture a seven-game series after trailing 3-0. The task is daunting for any group, especially one with key young players who have never competed on this stage. The Sixers are approaching Game 5 with focus, not fear.
“I don’t want a too high level of anxiety,” Brett Brown said. “I don’t think that helps anybody think or play. I feel like we have a game plan that we’re confident in. We have a rotation that we believe in. They have a spirit still to move this thing forward. We want to go back to Philadelphia.”
Game 4 was one of adjustments, with the Sixers starting McConnell in place of Robert Covington. Expect both teams to be prepared for new strategies from their opponent. Celtics guard Shane Larkin (shoulder) has been ruled out for Wednesday. The Sixers are locking in on “maximum” effort, as Redick described it, honing in on defense, and making their mark in the paint, especially if three-point shots aren’t falling.
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“We've got to lock down defensively, can't give them any easy buckets,” McConnell said. “Offensively we've got to let the game come to us.”
The Sixers’ season has been one of changing goals: make the playoffs, reach 50 wins, secure home court, clinch the third seed. Now their objective is to make history with a massive comeback and continue fighting in the postseason.
"We don't need to put ourselves in a box ever," Redick said. "We have a very high ceiling and that ceiling is hopefully championships. I think this will be a team and a group, a core group of guys, that will compete for championships for a long time."