It's officially time to declare the Rockets the Underdog Nobody Wants when they face Golden State on Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. There are some logical reasons to support Houston, not the least of which is fading a public that can't get enough of Golden State following Sunday's blowout victory. Moreover, Houston has responded to its postseason no-shows with strong performances. It beat Minnesota on the road by 19 and Utah by 21 following blowout defeats. Of course the Warriors are a level higher in competition, but Houston should have a sense of urgency that lends itself to a cover on this ample spread.

When the Warriors rolled to a Game 1 win, the Rockets responed -- on the shoulders of amazing shooting and Eric Gordon's huge offensive effort. Golden State responded with a 41-point Game 3 victory. Game 4 will be different, but it won't be a repeat of Game 2. The Warriors learned a lot from their one defeat in this series, and are locked in to make sure something like that doesn't happen again. Houston is 2-6 against the spread as an underdog this season, and based on what we've seen in this series, 2-7 looks like a solid bet.