PHILADELPHIA — It seems that Isaiah Thomas has emerged not only as the Celtics’ All-Star and most distinguishable player, he is also the team’s on-court leader. So his actions of late — showing anger toward officials, displaying frustration after difficult plays, and forcing the offense — have been indicative of the team’s recent struggles.
The Celtics have lost four consecutive games — tying a season high — and are desperate for a victory against the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers.
Thomas is the team’s voice of reason, and said Saturday’s practice at Temple University’s Liacouras Center was about regaining their confidence and moving forward from those four difficult losses, especially Friday’s 105-91 loss in Toronto.
The Celtics watched film, focused on their third quarter against the Raptors, and tried shifting focus from injuries and poor luck to getting a victory.
“We’ve just got to get back to having fun and having that type of swagger about us,’’ Thomas said. “It’s easier said than done but when we do have fun, joking around and playing freely, that’s when we play our best. Coach [Brad Stevens] showed us a lot of things on film that kind of made us feel a lot better about ourselves. I think after we win one game, we’ll feel a lot better about ourselves.’’
Thomas, as were many of his teammates, was angry about the officiating Friday, especially since his counterpart, Kyle Lowry, attempted 14 free throws to Thomas’s 4. Complaining to officials has been a self-diagnosed problem for the Celtics this season and Thomas said it’s something that needs to subside.
“You don’t accept [not getting calls], I think you play more aggressive,’’ Thomas said. “Usually the most aggressive team gets the calls. So from the jump ball, we’ve got to be the more aggressive team and not second guess what we want to do offensively and be ourselves on the defensive end. That will take care of all the miscues of trying to blame the refs for missed foul calls.’’
With Jae Crowder out for another couple of weeks with a high right ankle sprain, the 27-year-old Thomas said he accepts full leadership responsibility, knowing his younger teammates follow his emotional lead.
“My body language has to be better,’’ he said. “I know everybody looks at me to lead, and even if my body language is bad, it kinds of wears off on the other guys. Whether that’s complaining to the refs or just not being happy or not smiling out there. I’ve got to do a better job of that and knowing everybody else is looking at me.
“Not to always put it on myself, but the previous teams I’ve been on, when I’m out there having fun, my teammates usually follow my lead.’’
As for the officiating, Thomas has always believed he’s slighted because of his size, although he is 16th in the NBA in free throw attempts per game.
“It might be tough to officiate myself because I am the smallest guy out there,’’ he said. “At the same time, I’m definitely getting hit and I’m not complaining for no reason. I know the officials are human. I know they’re going to miss some calls. But I think the obvious ones you’ve got to try to make a call but I’ve got to continue to play through it. There’s games where I shoot 10 free throws and games where I shoot two, that’s the answer right there.’’
Stevens has addressed issues with officials before and instructed his team to limit their complaints and prevent any on-court distractions. Have they become more vocal during the four-game losing streak?
“I see it across the league when you’re not having success,’’ Stevens said. “And certainly, nobody wants to be in that boat. Again, it’s an emotional game, you focus on what you can control moving forward.’’
Marcus Smart, who has had his issues with officiating this season, earning five technical fouls and a $15,000 fine, said the team has to improve its concentration.
“It’s hard, especially when you’re out there working and you’re doing everything the right way,’’ he said. “It would be different if you were out there taking shortcuts. But we’re doing everything the right way and it seems like we can’t get a break. We don’t blame the officials for it, even though you see us out there arguing. We understand that they’re doing their job.
“There’s only three [referees] and there’s 10 of us on the court. They’re human and I’m sure they get tired of us talking to them. It’s just something you have to keep playing through.’’
Jerebko eyes return
Stevens said swingman Jonas Jerebko (right Achilles’ soreness) is progressing and he should be able to return for Monday’s home game against the Magic. Jerebko has missed the past two games . . . Stevens said he believed Amir Johnson — who scored 6 points with three rebounds and a blocked shot in the third period Friday — played his best stretch in weeks. Johnson has been struggling offensively and with energy. Stevens actually benched Johnson to begin the third quarter in favor of Kelly Olynyk.
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GwashburnGlobe.
