Will NBA home teams have heart tonight?

Both of Tuesday night’s NBA playoff series are tied at 2-2. In their previous contest, one of tonight’s home teams played with heart and the other was flat-lined. Each team will be able to retake the lead in the series and be one game away from advancing, with the question remaining; will the blood be pumping at enough of a rapid pace to finish the job?

For those that placed a futures wager on the Los Angeles Lakers to be NBA champions, you probably feel like you are being setup as part of a Ponzi scheme, with your money being leveraged to pay of somebody else if you were to lose.

Just when it seemed the Lakers couldn’t play any worse than they did in non-caring Game 1 performance, they sink three levels lower. The only player with a noticeable pulse in Houston Sunday was Jordan Farmar and when he is your hardest working player, it’s going to be a long four quarters.

For all the talk of playing more physical and being mentally tougher, Los Angeles looks very much like the team that played Boston in finals last year and was soft. If you think the Lakers come out and play like they are on fire, you might want to dial back expectations, since they are 8-27 ATS off a double digit loss as a favorite of six points or more.

Without Yao Ming, it’s very difficult for anyone not drinking Houston Rockets red kool-aid to believe Houston really has a chance to win the series. It would be one of the all-time great NBA playoff upsets if it were to happen, given the current circumstances, but unlike the Lakers, the Rockets play with a greater passion and genuinely seem to care, as opposed to their opponent.

No Yao means larger spread and DiamondSportsbook.com has the L.A. favored by 12, with 198 total. The Rockets are 19-7 ATS as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points and 19-7 UNDER if opponent plays over .600 basketball. The Lakers 14-27 ATS in home games revenging a same season loss and 9-1 UNDER after a game with 15 or less assists.

Earlier on the other coast, the Boston Celtics will try to do something they have failed to do in this series, win an odd-numbered contest. Boston has yet to lead in this series and can go up with a win. After being demolished in Game 3, the Celtics showed heart and guts in squeaking by Orlando 95-94 as five–point underdogs.

Boston even showed trust and faith in one another as teammates, as Paul Pierce passed out double-team, of what would have been a nearly impossible shot to make and found wide open Glen Davis who baby-ed in medium range jump shot for the winner.

“Since I have been with the Celtics, I have been trying to fine my niche in our system,” Davis said. “Doc (Rivers) told me that if you work on that shot and show me you can make it, I am going to let you shoot it. This year has been proof of hard work. You just have to be focused.”

Boston returns home as 2.5-point home favorites and they are not a lock to take command of series. In the postseason alone they are 4-2 SU with only two covers at TD Northbank and are 7-15 ATS as home favorites. The better news is they have carried momentum forward and are 15-5 ATS off an upset win as an underdog.

The loss by Orlando was certainly deflating, however the Magic have been resilient and are 18-6 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a home favorite. The negative is Dwight Howard’s team is 4-13 ATS in Bean-Town.

The total of 192 appears to be a compromise of the first four games. Boston is 9-1 OVER in a home game when the total is between 190 and 194.5 points this season and Orlando is 6-1 UNDER off a spread loss.

Tonight’s NBA action starts at 8 Eastern on TNT in Boston and immediately following the scene shifts to L.A. This is no place for the meek of heart and it will show this evening.