Celtics have the answer

So by the fourth, the crowd wasn’t relegated to yelling at Doc Rivers for lineup changes. They merrily enjoyed a rare home blowout and, of course, a Gino appearance with 5:31 left.

Getting a gritty win Tuesday at Detroit was one step, but the Celtics realized it would mean little without a victory over the Bobcats. And they cruised to a 104-80 win, holding Charlotte to 36 percent shooting.

Paul Pierce was sparkling, recording his first 20-plus point game since scoring 35 against the Hawks Jan. 29. He scored 27 points in 27 minutes, draining four 3-pointers, and Nate Robinson sparked a 16-0 first-half run with three consecutive 3-pointers.

For once, the Celtics enjoyed a laugher, their first double-digit home win since defeating Minnesota, 122-104, Dec. 20. In the past two months, the Celtics have struggled against inferior opponents (Nets, Bulls) blown big leads against elite teams (Cavaliers, Magic), and have been beaten in the final minute (Lakers).

The Celtics improved to just 17-11 at home compared with 21-10 on the road, which is second-best in the NBA to Cleveland (22-10).

“It’s a start,’’ Pierce said, still not convinced the Celtics are confident enough at the Garden. “We haven’t had a game like this in a while. We need to come out each and every game like this. If we just played a little bit better at home, we’d probably have the best record in the league. This is a place we have to establish ourselves.’’

A 20-7 run to begin the third quarter turned a 9-point halftime lead into a 22-point cushion and the offensively-challenged Bobcats had no answer.

Last night turned out to be a best-case scenario for Rivers, whose team was on the second of back-to-back games. Ray Allen logged just 18 minutes and Kevin Garnett (12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) played just 25 minutes. The Celtics expected a rugged game since Charlotte was well rested, but the Bobcats looked eerily similar to the team that scored a franchise-low 59 points here Oct. 28.

But that team was without Stephen Jackson, who was still stewing in Golden State. He was supposed to be a difference-maker but last night he was more talk than execution.