Boston Celtics focused on slowing LeBron James in Game 4 of East finals

CLEVELAND –  Privately, the Boston Celtics aren’t thrilled about the constant questions regarding Isaiah Thomas’ absence.

They think – and now they know after Sunday’s stunning Game 3 win in Cleveland – that they are good enough to win without him, and players aren't pleased with the narrative that's he's the main reason they're this far into the playoffs.

But publicly, they’ve found a way around those inquiries.

“Isaiah Smart!” Celtics small forward Gerald Green yelled as guard Marcus Smart walked onto the court for Tuesday’s shootaround ahead of Game 4.

Smart drilled seven of 10 three-pointers in Sunday’s 111-108 win en route to a playoff career-high 27 points. Smart was the primary catalyst with Thomas sidelined for the playoffs after aggravating a hip injury.

If the Celtics are to tie the conference finals 2-2, they might need a repeat performance from Smart. They also might need a similar defensive performance against LeBron James, who was uncharacteristically passive with 11 points and six turnovers in the loss.

“He didn’t have the ball in his hands as much as he usually does, especially down the stretch,” forward Jae Crowder said. “Felt like Kyrie (Irving) was trying to make the play for the most part.”

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Part of that was because the Celtics stopped switching on screens, forcing James to attack Crowder straight up.

“I try to stay man-on-man as much as possible,” Crowder said. “The game plan was to try not to let him switch so easily like we did in the first two games at home because we got demolished when we did that.”

Entering Game 3, James was riding a streak of eight consecutive games with at least 30 points. He hadn’t had less than 25 all postseason, and the last time he had such an off night in the playoffs was the 2014 conference finals when he scored just seven against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics may have found something, or perhaps James just wasn’t himself.

“I don’t know if anybody has figured (out how to contain him),” center Al Horford said. “Any player is due to have a rough night.”

Said Celtics coach Brad Stevens: “We’re trying to guard him as hard as we can because I think he’s the best player in the world.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Michael Singer on Twitter @msinger.