Doc Rivers homes in on woes

WALTHAM - Of all the issues facing the Celtics [team stats] - and the list seems to grow daily - the team’s inability to defend its homecourt stands out most to coach Doc Rivers.

The Celtics have a worse record at the Garden (16-11) than on the road (20-10). The Philadelphia 76ers [team stats] are the only other team in the league with a better record away than at home.

“It is troubling. Of all the things to me, even over the rebounding and everything, is how we’ve performed at home,” Rivers said after yesterday’s practice. “If you ask me, the one thing that’s bothering me more than anything has been that. Because I don’t care what your injuries are or whatever - you should win at home. On the road, it becomes difficult. At home, you should win those games.”

Those struggles reached a low point last week when the C’s were crushed by the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers, 108-88, on Thursday and then lost 104-96 on Saturday to the Nets, the NBA’s worst team.

To a man, the Celtics insist they’ll snap out of their two-month-long funk by the time the playoffs arrive. But the home struggles suggest this team might not be championship material.

The Celts have lost nearly as many games at home this season than the previous two combined (70-12 record).

Rivers wishes he had a solution to the woes, but like many of the issues facing his team, there is no easy fix.

“I don’t know the answer,” Rivers said. “Obviously if I did then it’d be fixed. We’re just going to keep working. The bottom line is we have to become a better team and we have to do it together.”

Last year, the Celtics finished second in the East, though their focus down the stretch was as much on the health of Kevin Garnett as it was on seeding. With the team mostly healthy now, Rivers plans to fully pursue homecourt.

“We’re not conceding homecourt,” he said. “We are as far as the Cavs - it’d be impossible (to catch them) unless they go on an amazing losing streak - but we would love to get the rest of the series (at home) because we are healthy enough to go for it. I don’t concede this. Obviously we concede the No. 1 seed. It’d be very difficult.”

Despite his team’s struggles at the Garden, Rivers is confident the C’s will benefit from a homecourt advantage this spring.

“I know in the playoffs, you want homecourt,” Rivers said. “No matter how well or poorly you’ve played at home, at the end of the day, we’ll be good at home in the playoffs.”