A big story in the second round of the playoffs has been the total domination by the home team.

Everyone plays better at home, but this is getting ridiculous. To the point that the home teams are about to be 18-1, if the Celtics can hold on to any part of that 10-point fourth quarter lead.

That means the Lakers’ home game tonight is something like a must-win game, because they do NOT want to go back to Salt Lake City down 3-2.

Phil Jackson invoked a tennis term when asked about the necessity of winning at home tonight.

“We held serve, they held serve, now it’s up to us again.”

When asked about the overwhelming home-road differential, Phil shrugged.

“I couldn’t tell you (the reason for) that,” he said. “I’m amazed by it too.

“The one team that won on the road, Detroit, they seemed to take the crowd out of it with a 15-point run.”

Home teams are 5-0 in both the Boston-Cleveland and New Orleans-San Antonio series. They are 4-0 in this series, The Detroit-Orlando series was 4-1, with the Pistons picking off the only road victory in the second round, to date.

“It’s what you play for,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said of home court. “Home-court advantage has always been big in this league and as teams get more and more, I guess, a little closer to each other, I think it makes a bigger difference.”

Staples and Energy Solutions Center in Salt Lake are different venues.

Staples is ornate and generally more sedate. Energy Solutions (formerly known as the Delta Center) is simpler and far, far louder. Reporters from the Deseret News and Associated Press routinely wear ear plugs at home games there.

Andrei Kirilenko of the Jazz conceded, however, that Staples is a tough place for the Jazz to play. To the tune of 3-16 in their history here.

“Those celebrities can affect the game,” he said. “When they start cheering I think it gets other people going and gives an extra spark (to the Lakers).”

Kirilenko admitted the Jazz players are aware of stars at court side. He said his favorite is Jack Nicholson. “He’s like an old dynasty.” But he said the players aren’t distracted by the glitterati. “I’m not star-struck. I see the faces, and some of them I know are famous but I don’t know who they are. I’m Russian. I’m not looking for them.

“If we just play our game, control the game, execute our game plan, we’ll be fine.”

Ronnie Price said it “was cool” to see Denzel Washington at courtside, but he said he has no interaction with the stars. “It’s not my business,” he said.

He said he has learned one thing about the movie and TV crowd. “Those guys are short. They’re all shorter in person than you think they are.”

Said Ronnie Brewer: “We have to find a way to win on the road. Detroit did it. To be successful, you have to win one on the road. We found a way to do it in Houston (in the first round). We have to find a way to do it here.”

The Lakers aren’t under quite that same presure. They can win the series by just “holding serve.”

Which means they have to win tonight.