The Nets and the Kings lost their home-court advantage by dropping one of the first two games in their respective conference finals. Their predicament is worth a call to the doctor -- Dr. Jack Ramsay. The Hall of Fame coach offers his prescription for both teams as they hit the road for Game 3.

Home teams win the majority of the time in the NBA regular season -- this year, about 56 percent in the Eastern Conference and 62 percent in the stronger Western Conference. But in the playoffs, teams that reach the conference finals are generally even tougher on their own court.

So far in the playoffs, the Celtics are 5-0 at home, the Nets are 6-2 in the Meadowlands, and the Lakers, who don't care much where the games are played, are 4-1 at the Staples Center. Only the Kings, who had the best record in the league in the regular season at Arco Arena (36-5), haven't dominated at home (4-3) in postseason play. But the Kings have crowned their opponents on the road -- going undefeated in the early rounds at both Utah and Dallas.

What's all that mean to the Kings and Nets as they prepare for a Game 3 on the road? First, they better bring their "A" game. Less than their best won't cut it at either Staples or the FleetCenter.

Also, each team might look for some psychological nugget that could be a confidence builder. The Kings need only to look back at their record against Utah and Dallas -- 4-0 on the road. Granted, those teams aren't in the same class as the Lakers, but both have loud, rabid home followers -- who filed quietly out of their buildings after strong Sacramento performances. There's no better sight to a visiting team. Factor in the glow of success that lingers from their win over the Lakers in Game 2, and the Kings should feel psychologically pumped.

The Nets have to dig a bit deeper, but they know they can win in Boston because they did it this season. And, although the Celts took them to school twice in their own building and finished the regular season 3-1 against them, coach Byron Scott will stress how well his team played in Game 1 of the current series as evidence that it can be done again.

Nets vs. Celtics

	Jason Kidd must get the Nets back into their running game.

After Game 1, it was conceded by most observers that the Nets had played an outstanding game -- perhaps their best of the season. They rebounded aggressively, ran the floor like whippets, shot nearly 50 percent and defended the basket area like a pack of junkyard dogs. Jason Kidd was magnificent, and the bench players all contributed. It seemed like the Nets had won by 20 ... but the final difference was seven points.

Game 2 was vastly different. This time, it was Boston that defended hard, flooding the paint with green shirts. The Celts controlled the boards and blocked nine shots. Neither team shot well -- both shot under 35 percent from the field -- and Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker put up enough bricks to build their own personal wing to the Continental Airlines Arena. But the Celts' defense would not bend, and this time it appeared that they dominated the game from start to finish. Kidd ignited a furious rally that got the Nets back in the game, but the final difference was again only seven points.

For the Nets to win Game 3, they obviously need to duplicate their performance of Game 1 -- especially their success in the transition game. Control of the backboards is a must for that to happen. Scott has shown his squad video clips of the positives and negatives of both games. The players understand what they have to do. Now they must do it in the raucous, hostile, ear-splitting environment of the FleetCenter. I expect Kidd to maintain his performance level, although a third consecutive triple-double might be too much for even him to deliver. It's imperative for Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn, who both struggled mightily in Game 2, to step up. They were a combined 4-for-23 from the field and Van Horn was scorched by Walker for big hoops down the stretch that kept the Celts' lead safe. They also need more production from Todd MacCulloch, who was a non-factor in Game 2 after scoring 14 points and providing a positive defensive presence in the opener.

The Nets need a big dose of poised intensity in this one. It could be enough for them to win.

Kings vs. Lakers
As much as the Lakers are a two-man scoring machine, beating them seems more dependent on limiting the scoring contribution of the other starting players. In Game 1, which the Lakers won, Kobe Bryant (30) and Shaquille O'Neal (26) totaled 56 points. In losing Game 2, they combined for 57 points. Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Derek Fisher scored a combined 38 points (on 14-for-28 shooting) in the winning effort; they had just 22 points on 8-for-23 shooting in the loss.

	The Kings can't afford to let Shaq get comfortable in the lane.

That's not to say that you "let Kobe and Shaq get theirs." They might score a hundred! The Kings must make their best effort to contain each of them, which is no easy task. And there is no doubt that getting Shaq in foul trouble is vital to the Kings' hopes of winning. Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard must continue working to deny Shaq position in the paint, and do their best to draw charges on the big guy's moves to the hoop. Shaq doesn't like that -- and neither does coach Phil Jackson -- but that's beside the point. It's also important to make Shaq actively guard his matchup. He'll give Divac and Pollard 12- to 15-foot jumpers and they can also drive on him from that distance.

Next in importance, the Kings must rotate to the open shooters quickly with hand-in-the-face defense. Other than Shaq, the Lakers are a jump-shooting team. Other than Bryant, no one drives to the hoop. But they can knock down those jumpers. The Kings must challenge every one of them.

At the offensive end, the Kings -- much like the Nets -- thrive on the transition game. They must push the ball at every opportunity. The Lakers are a difficult team to run against. They control the tempo of the game, have good transition defense and don't yield a lot of fastbreak opportunities. But the Kings need to take advantage of every chance to run out -- even forcing the tempo up court after the Lakers score. Without forcing quick shots, they need to get into offense before the Lakers' defense is set. Mike Bibby is the man at the throttle. He needs to be very aggressive yet under control.

Strangely, the team with the rebounding advantage has lost both games. The Kings still want to press for that advantage, however. It can help them get into their transition game more consistently. Chris Webber and Divac are the key guys here.

The change of venue poses a different challenge for the Kings than the Nets. While the FleetCenter will be jumping before the game starts, the laid-back Lakers' fans are just arriving at the Staples Center when the ball is tossed. And it will take them a while to warm to the competition of the game. If the Kings jump out early, the home fans will watch quietly, and if that trend continues, leave for home before the game's over.

Both the Nets and Kings face big challenges in this road test. But they are playing for the conference championships. During the season, both learned how to win on the road.

And, in the final analysis, how you play is much more important than where the game is played.