When their twice-waived free agent addition sets an NBA record for 3-pointers made and his 35-year-old counterpart drops a season-high 24 points with 10 assists, it’s all but inevitable that they’ll beat the NBA odds.

Fortunately for Spurs fans, that’s exactly what happened in Game 5.

With Danny Green red-hot once again, knocking down six threes for an NBA Finals-record 25 3-pointers made, and Manu Ginobili turning back time in his first start of the season, San Antonio made the once-favored Heat look like betting line busts.

Thanks to home-court advantage, the NBA odds favor LeBron James and the Heat heading into Game 6 on Tuesday. Will having their backs against the wall be enough to push Miami to new heights against a San Antonio team that’s managed to answer every Heat blow?

Over the course of the first five games of the best-of-seven series, the Spurs and Heat have exchanged swipes. A narrow Game 1 San Antonio win prompted a Miami blowout in Game 2, which inspired a dramatic Spurs win in Game 3 and another Miami response in Game 4. Then, of course, there was Game 5.

Eventually, however, this game of NBA Finals one-upmanship will have to come to an end.

Favored by seven points heading into Game 6 in Miami, the Heat will need to not only hope to contain Green, but also worry about Ginobili replicating his Game 5 performance.

Green and Ginobili, let’s not forget, are able to thrive in the San Antonio offense as much as they have been thanks to the ever-concerning presences of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard.

If the Spurs continue to get production out of every facet of their lineup, Miami may be left with little choice but to attempt to overpower them offensively. With James relatively quiet through the first five games of the Finals, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen will need to continue to contribute.

The difference between San Antonio’s production and Miami’s production is that the Spurs have managed to pool theirs together as a unit more often.

As fun as it is to consider the Spurs winning their fifth title when Game 6 comes to a close, neither San Antonio nor any mortal basketball franchise on this planet has come up with an answer for a motivated LeBron James backed up by his All-Star teammates.

Perhaps that’s why oddsmakers refuse to rule them out.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Goaltenders tend to get the award often. The last two winners were netminders, as were five of the last 10. This year, the goaltenders on each side appear to be the favorites, but there’s still time for that to change.

Here’s a look at the four top contenders for the 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy.

Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins

Goaltenders are always a good bet for the Conn Smythe Trophy, and Rask, the Bruins netminder, is definitely a frontrunner. Although he was a bit shaky in the first round, Rask is coming off a series where he allowed just two goals to the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. Entering the Stanley Cup Final, he had allowed just nine goals in his last 12 playoff games. If the Bruins win, he’s a good bet to be named the playoffs’ Most Valuable Player.

Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are known more for their offense than defense, yet Crawford’s goaltending is one of the main reasons why the Blackhawks are even in the final. They were favored to win the Stanley Cup on the NHL odds at -150 at the beginning of the series, but they likely wouldn’t have made it this far without Crawford. He stood on his head when the Blackhawks were down 3-1 in their second-round series with the Detroit Red Wings and then outplayed last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Jonathan Quick, in the conference finals.

His 1.74 goals-against average entering the final was a smidgen better than Rask’s (1.75). If the Blackhawks win the Cup, he’ll likely be named the MVP.

David Krejci, Boston Bruins

Krejci had 33 points in the regular season, but he’s already registered 23 in the playoffs. He leads the playoff participants in points, and naturally, that makes him the best candidate among scorers for the Conn Smythe (assuming the Bruins win).

Krejci is the only player with 20 or more points, and he’s registered a point in all but three playoff games. He’s the forward with the best chance to win the MVP award, but he’ll have to lead the Bruins to one more series win to be in contention.

Bryan Bickell, Chicago Blackhawks

Bickell is definitely the longest shot of the bunch, but if there is a Blackhawks forward who is worthy of the award, it would be him. Although it’s hard to believe, the big Blackhawks forward is tied for the team lead with eight goals in the playoffs after netting just nine in the regular season. His impact goes beyond the stat sheet, though, as he’s been an immovable force in front of the net.

It’s unlikely that Bickell would leapfrog Crawford for the award should the Blackhawks win the Cup, but another productive round from him just might do the trick.

This post is presented by Bovada.

The second-favorite was Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis at 3-1, and he’s making his own Triple Crown case. The lefty slugger trails only Cabrera in batting average and is third in RBIs but leads the AL with 21 homers.

He will be the primary focus of Boston’s pitching in this weekend’s four-game series at Camden Yards. When betting series prices, only the first three games of a four-game series count and the Orioles will be very slight favorites, around -125, because they won’t see either Jon Lester or Clay Buchholz in those first three games.

Davis has slowed down a bit for Baltimore, as he hadn’t homered or knocked in a run since June 2 before homering Wednesday. Baltimore won the series, its fourth straight series win at home and all against good competition (the Tigers, Nationals and Yankees). Before that run, the Orioles had lost seven straight games at home.

The Red Sox lost two of three to Baltimore at Fenway Park from April 8-10. Davis had two hits in that series, both solo home runs. Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, a rising superstar at age 20, hit .385 against Boston with a homer and three RBIs. Outfielder Adam Jones hit .308 with a homer but also struck out a team-high six times. Matt Wieters, one of the best catchers in the AL, was 1-for-10.

Baltimore is scheduled to start rookie right-hander Kevin Gausman (0-3, 8.84) on Thursday. He’s one of the team’s top prospects but has had a rough start to his big-league career. Gausman allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings last time out against Tampa Bay. The former LSU star has made just one start so far at Camden Yards, and it was easily his best, holding the Tigers to one run on five hits over six innings. It was the only start of Gausman’s that the Orioles have won. No Red Sox have faced him.

On Friday, the Orioles will be approximately -140 favorites behind right-hander Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.89). He has allowed more than three runs in just one start all year and has allowed a total of three earned runs over 13 innings in his past two starts, giving up just eight hits. Baltimore has won his past four starts. Tillman allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings April 11 at Boston. When considering a Boston hitting prop in the game, look to Dustin Pedroia. He’s hitting .357 with three RBIs in his career off Tillman. No Red Sox have homered off him.

Saturday, Baltimore starts veteran Freddy Garcia (3-3, 4.47). He has won three of his past four starts. Garcia has seen the Sox plenty, going 10-4 with 4.51 ERA in 129.2 career innings. Consider a bet on David Ortiz here. Big Papi is batting .317 with two homers and seven RBIs in his career off Garcia.

The Sox were 3-6 in Baltimore last season. Boston remains the +160 favorite to win the AL East.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Might the Big Three and Co., the NBA betting favorites since the confetti fell at their 2012 championship parade, not be big enough for Texas?

The NBA moneyline, which favors the Spurs for Thursday’s Game 4 by 1.5 points, isn’t so sure.

Over the course of the first three games of the NBA Finals, basketball fans have seen three different results play out: a nail-biter, a Heat blowout and a Spurs blowout. More than just satisfying symmetry, however, the games combine to tell basketball fans and NBA oddsmakers alike just what they can expect over the course of the rest of the series.

Both the Heat and the Spurs, simply put, are capable of taking their fate into their own hands if and when necessary. We saw it with Miami in Game 2 when James (relatively quiet compared to what he’s capable of) laid low, using his dominating presence to free up perimeter-threat teammates Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller (the trio combined for 41 points).

James struggled in Game 3, which in turn limited the opportunities for his teammates.

In Game 3, San Antonio really showed its depth. After a disappointing second game — in which the Spurs fell victim to a Heat team that was firing on all cylinders and in which they turned the ball over far more than is appropriate for the Finals — the Spurs responded. With Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker logging modest minutes, San Antonio saw enormous contributions from its secondary weapons: 27 points from Danny Green, 24 points from Gary Neal and 14 points from Kawhi Leonard.

The point that hoops fans can take away from it all is a simple one: both San Antonio and Miami are capable of winning ball games regardless of what the other team can do on defense on any given night — that’s the level of talent in this series.

The question is whether Erik Spoelstra and the Heat will be able to replicate Game 2 — where James wreaked havoc, driving the paint and dishing out to the 3-point line — before Gregg Popovich can repeat his own success in Game 3. While San Antonio set an NBA Finals record with 16 three-pointers on Tuesday, only one came from Parker, Ginobili and Duncan combined. That won’t happen every day.

Most realistically, San Antonio’s 3-point shooters will return to Earth in Game 4, and James will rebound after his worst outing of the postseason. That doesn’t make betting on the NBA Finals any easier, but it will make for some hard-fought games.

This post is presented by Bovada.

However, Tiger can’t officially be called “back” until he wins another major championship. It’s in majors where Tiger judges himself, and he has remained stuck at 14 major victories since winning the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods is the overwhelming 9-2 betting favorite to win the 113th U.S. Open, which tees off Thursday at Merion Golf Club’s East Course outside of Philadelphia.

This won’t be one of those U.S. Opens where the winner finishes over par as Webb Simpson did a year ago at Olympic Club outside San Francisco. Merion is a short track, measuring only 6,996 yards. Heavy rains over the weekend will help soften the course and thus improve scoring conditions. It’s the fifth time the course has hosted a U.S. Open and first since 1981, when David Graham won at 7-under to become the first Australian to win a U.S. Open.

Tiger won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines essentially on one leg, beating Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole Monday playoff. The U.S. Open is the only major to stage an 18-hole playoff. That was Tiger’s third U.S. Open triumph — he has also been runner-up twice — and he joined Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win each of the four majors at least three times.

That Tiger has a top-five finish this week is even money. His last top five at the U.S. Open was in 2010. He held the 36-hole lead last year but struggled on the weekend and finished tied for 21st. Woods enters off a shocking 8-over 296 at the Memorial Tournament and a 65th-place finish in an event he had won a record five times. It was easily Tiger’s worst PGA Tour result of the year and one of his highest scores anywhere in his career.

Tiger will be paired with Rory McIlroy and reigning Masters champion Adam Scott for the first two rounds. The latter two are 20-1 second-favorites to win along with Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson. Woods and world No. 2 McIlroy have played together seven times on the PGA Tour and Tiger has shot a better round than McIlroy in six of those. McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional with a record-setting 16-under 268 total.

World No. 3 Scott was paired with Woods and Mickelson in the first two rounds back at the 2008 U.S. Open. Scott became the first Australian to win a green jacket in April at Augusta. Scott’s best U.S. Open career finish was 15th last year.

This post is presented by Bovada.

The Spurs are two-and-a-half point favorites on Tuesday’s Game 3 moneyline.

Although the Heat have faced adversity over the course of their playoff run, they haven’t yet been forced to adapt against a team as established as these veteran Spurs. Whereas the Indiana Pacers were a valiant foe in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Spurs are a proven dynasty who’ve only improved their odds of winning an NBA championship with age.

Starting in Game 3, the Spurs will hold home-court advantage over Miami up until Game 5. While it’s unlikely that San Antonio completely locks down the series considering how badly they were defeated in Game 2, it’s at least possible that they could close things out without having to make the trip back to Florida.

Over the course of the first two games of the series, the Heat looked both fallible and unstoppable. While they failed to find an answer for the crafty Spurs down the stretch in Game 1, they maximized every last ounce of talent in their lineup in Game 2, proving that there’s more to the Miami Heat than simply LeBron James.

Now as Game 3 approaches, all eyes will be watching the Spurs to see if they can nip Miami’s momentum in the bud and take advantage of the fact that they effectively stole home-court in the series.

Fans, critics and oddsmakers alike will pay special attention to how San Antonio’s defense responds to the adjustments the Heat made in Game 2. It’s one thing to contain James at the top of his game, but it’s entirely more difficult if Miami is getting such overwhelming production from supplementary weapons like Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Mike Miller. (The three combined for 41 points, 8-for-12 from beyond the arc.)

Would compensating to cover Miami’s 3-point presence leave the Spurs susceptible to a big game from James? Would failing to adjust spell their demise?

Over on the Heat bench, expect head coach Erik Spoelstra to continue to preach energy and chaos on defense. It’s considerably less daunting to beat the Spurs when they’re committing 16 turnovers as they did in Game 2 than when they limit themselves to four like in Game 1.

This post is presented by Bovada.

That’s going to be the case for the following four players, who are all free agents-to-be. They might have been marginal free agents before, but now that they’ve headlined for their teams in the playoffs, they are in line for some big paydays.

Here’s a look at four free agents whose stock has risen in the playoffs.

Bryan Bickell, Chicago Blackhawks

Bickell has earned a living crashing the net and being a big, unmovable force in front of it. However, he’s going to be living much better when he signs his next contract this offseason thanks to a newfound scoring touch around the cage.

Bickell made a modest $600,000 this season, but that will likely skyrocket. He’s scored seven playoff goals for the Blackhawks (the current favorites on the Stanley Cup odds at +110). That’s a big surprise considering he’s only scored 40 goals in the last six years. For those keeping track at home, Bickell’s seven playoff goals are four more than Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews combined.

Nathan Horton, Boston Bruins

Horton has long been a steady NHL scorer when he’s been on the ice. The trouble is that he always seems to be battling injury. He hasn’t played a full 82-game season since 2007-08.

However, Horton has managed to stay relatively healthy this year (only missing five regular-season games), and he’s reminding all potential free agent suitors why he can be a valuable asset. After finishing the regular season with 22 points, Horton has collected a whopping 17 in the playoffs. Only one player has registered more playoff points this postseason, and that’s teammate David Krejci (21).

He’s winding down on a nice payday with the Bruins and should earn another lucrative contract shortly.

Pascal Dupuis, Pittsburgh Penguins

Dupuis may have been the best bargain player in the NHL this year. Making a modest $1.5 million, Dupuis produced a huge return on investment, pouring in 20 goals and 38 points in the regular season. That stellar performance has continued in the playoffs with 11 points and seven goals, which ties him for the team lead.

Although he’s 34 years old, he can expect a nice raise come free agency.

Damien Brunner, Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings signed Brunner to a one-year, entry-level contract last July worth $1.35 million. Given how he played in the playoffs, they may have wished that contract was a little bit longer, because they’re not likely to get the same affordable rate.

Brunner led the Red Wings with five playoff goals and finished third on the team with nine points, behind Henrik Zetterberg (12) and Dan Cleary (10).

After his playoff performance, he’ll likely earn at least double what he made this year.

However, the Halos (26-34) enter this weekend’s three-game set at Fenway Park as the AL’s most disappointing team — at least south of the Canadian border. Now L.A. is 12-1 to win the pennant, compared to Boston’s 7-1.

The addition of former AL MVP Josh Hamilton, on a five-year, $125 million deal, was supposed to give Los Angeles the majors’ best lineup along with 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout and three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols. Only Trout has played well among the trio, and even that has been a bit of a step back from his historic rookie year. Hamilton has been one of the worst regulars in the AL with a .216 average and 62 strikeouts. He hasn’t homered since May 26.

Pujols has been a bit better than Hamilton, batting .243 with nine homers and 35 RBIs, but he is battling through foot and knee pain that may necessitate a trip to the disabled list at some point. The two Angels really hitting are Howie Kendrick (.317, eight home runs, 32 RBIs) and Trout (.293/10/38) after a slow start. Mark Trumbo leads the team with 15 homers and 40 RBIs.

The Angels had to replace three starting pitchers this offseason, and that rotation remains a question mark, although it has been a bit better of late. New addition Joe Blanton has struggled. Ace Jered Weaver has mostly been good, but he has been limited to four starts due to injury. He’s not expected to pitch in this series, although Sunday would be his scheduled day. The Angels are expected to give him extra rest with Thursday’s day off.

Boston will be approximately a -155 favorite for this series. The Angels have lost five of their past six games against two of the worst clubs in the majors, the Astros and Cubs.

The Halos are scheduled to start Tommy Hanson on Friday (2-2, 4.19). He returned from a nearly month-long DL stint by allowing five runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to Houston on May 31. Hanson has faced Boston once, back in 2009. Stephen Drew has four hits in 11 at-bats with a homer off the former Brave.

On Saturday, L.A. starts lefty C.J. Wilson (4-4, 3.93). He has allowed more than three earned runs in just two starts all season and held the Astros to three runs in 7 1/3 innings last time out. The Angels have won only one of his past six starts. Wilson is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA in his career against Boston. A Dustin Pedroia hitting prop may be a wise bet against Wilson, as Pedroia is hitting a team-high .467 with a homer and five RBIs in his career against him.

Blanton (1-9, 5.53) is scheduled to start Sunday. He leads the AL in losses but has had three straight quality starts to save his rotation spot. Consider MLB props on David Ortiz homering in this one, as Big Papi is hitting .345 with three homers in 29 at-bats against Blanton.

That was 2007, when James, still a Cleveland Cavalier, was still in the process of becoming a member of the basketball elite. Something tells us the NBA odds will play out a little differently this time around.

When James last faced Gregg Popovich and company, he hadn’t yet established himself as the most imposing physical threat of our generation. He hadn’t won four MVP awards (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) and he hadn’t won a ring. The result? A humbling four-game sweep in which the San Antonio franchise added its fourth championship in nine years.

This time around, the Miami Heat will take to the championship series with a level of confidence that the young Cavs didn’t possess. As the reigning NBA champions, they know what it takes to be the ones hoisting the trophy, and they’ve  got odds on their side — sitting atop the NBA futures more or less consistently for the past three seasons. Currently the Heat — despite their showing signs of mortality against the Indiana Pacers — hold -210 odds of winning the series outright.

While it was once San Antonio who fans, critics and odds makers alike penciled in to the NBA Finals at the onset of any particular campaign, the Heat have inherited the title of perennial contender and the expectations that come in tow. Until the Big 3 collapse, that’s likely where they’ll stay.

In this rendition of LeBron James versus San Antonio, fans will get to see not only how far the King has come, but also how much the Spurs have improved.

Under the trusted tutelage of Popovich, the Spurs have transitioned from their once-heavy reliance on Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to a more balanced attack that allows the squad to maximize the contributions of its veterans, while integrating the skills of supplementary youth.

In addition to Parker’s emergence as a legitimate MVP candidate in his own right, San Antonio — marked as the +175 underdog on the moneyline — has thrived with wings Kawhi Leonard (13.0 points per game) and Danny Green (9.6 points per game) helping to round out the Spurs attack.

James may be bigger, stronger and more mentally prepared to handle the rigors of a best of seven chess match against some of the wisest minds the NBA has ever known (look no further than the improved field-goal percentages that best encapsulates his rise — .476 in 2006-07, a super-humanly .565 in 2012-13), but to assume that a Heat victory is all but inevitable would be foolish.

Consider the series not simply a rematch then, but a full-fledged remake.

This post is presented by Bovada.

That’s not to say there aren’t big stakes for the owners of Orb and Oxbow on Saturday in New York. Certainly significant stud future fees would arise should either horse win this race. Orb was the 5-1 favorite at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of May and won by 2 1/2 lengths over long shot Golden Soul. It was the first Derby win for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and jockey Joel Rosario.

Orb was a significantly bigger 3-5 favorite two weeks later at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. However, 15-1 shot Oxbow led wire-to-wire as Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas won his record 14th-career Triple Crown race. It was the ninth Triple Crown win for jockey Gary Stevens, who only came out of retirement in January. It was just the third win in 11 career starts for Oxbow, who was sixth at the Kentucky Derby. Orb got stuck on the rail at the start of the Preakness, starting from Post 1, and never recovered, finishing fourth. That ended Orb’s five-race winning streak.

Horse racing is a fickle sport, so this could be the final time that Orb and Oxbow face off. For example, last year I’ll Have Another entered the Belmont with a Triple Crown shot but was scratched from the race the day before with an injury and retired to stud.

Orb is the opening 5-2 favorite to become the 12th horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Belmont. The last was Thunder Gulch in 1995, who was third in the Preakness. Orb’s bloodlines could bode well for this race. His paternal grandsire is 1992 Belmont winner A.P. Indy. Also a potential good sign: the only other three-letter Derby winner, Zev, did win the Belmont.

This will be the 21st time overall that the winners of the first two legs of the Triple Crown have squared off at the Belmont, which, at 1 1/2 miles, is the longest of the three races. Nine times the Preakness winner won the Belmont. The Derby winner did so five times. The other six were won by different horses. The last horse to pull the Preakness/Belmont double was Afleet Alex in 2005 after finishing third by about a length in the Kentucky Derby.

There is one filly in Saturday’s race: Unlimited Budget. She’s one of five horses entered by trainer Todd Pletcher. Unlimited Budget is ridden by Rosie Napravnik. No woman rider has ever won a Triple Crown race aboard a filly. Unlimited Budget is 15-1.

Pletcher did make history at the Belmont six years ago when Rags to Riches became the first filly in 102 years to win the race. It remains the trainer’s lone Belmont win. However, Pletcher’s best shot this year likely will come from Revolutionary at 5-1. He won the Louisiana Derby earlier this year and finished third at the Kentucky Derby. Revolutionary has never finished outside the money in seven career starts. As many as 15 horses could start Saturday.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Photo via Twitter/@wagihe2012

Both managers have received calls of support from upper management, which is never a good thing. The Dodgers are easily the biggest disappointment in the National League with a team-record payroll of about $216 million, but last in the NL West. You can’t blame that big trade with the Red Sox, as both Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford have been playing well this year. Josh Beckett hasn’t been good, is hurt and could retire, but overall the Dodgers feel good about the trade.

Mattingly is the 5-4 favorite to be the first manager fired. He already has called out his team publicly, and the former Yankees star doesn’t have a contract after this season.

Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in baseball and has a contract that runs through 2018, but Angels owner Arte Moreno has shown money is no object after signing Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton the past two offseasons — and both former MVPs have struggled this year. Scioscia is a two-time AL Manager of the Year and led the Halos to the 2002 World Series title, but they haven’t been back since and appear set to miss the postseason for the fourth straight year. The irony is that if Scioscia is fired, he’d probably be at the top of the Dodgers’ wish list, as he was a longtime catcher for the team. Scioscia is 7-1 to get the axe before any other manager.

The second favorite to be the first fired is Milwaukee’s Ron Roenicke at 5-1. The Brewers were contending for the NL Central lead to start May, but went 6-22 in the month, tying a club record for futility. The team already has tried several roster moves, to no avail.

Seattle’s Eric Wedge and Toronto’s John Gibbons are both at 7-1 with Scioscia. Wedge only had three seasons with at least a .500 record in seven years with Cleveland — he was the 2007 AL Manager of the Year — and the Mariners haven’t sniffed the break-even mark in his three seasons there. The M’s thought they would at least contend for a wild card spot this year.

Gibbons was hired by the Blue Jays after they traded John Farrell to Boston. Toronto didn’t make the playoffs in Gibbons’ first stint from 2004-08, and the preseason World Series favorites don’t appear likely to do so this year either. The Jays are the most disappointing AL team east of Anaheim. Toronto is now 15-1 to win the AL East, with Boston the new 2-1 favorite after taking two of three from the Yankees (13-4) over the weekend.

The rest of the candidates are the Phillies’ Charlie Manuel (10-1), the Royals’ Ned Yost (12-1), the Mets’ Terry Collins (12-1), the Twins’ Ron Gardenhire (15-1), the Yankees’ Joe Girardi (15-1) and the Padres’ Bud Black (15-1). Girardi’s Yankees are the only team with a winning record on that list.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Over the past two weeks, LeBron James has solidified his legacy as one of the game’s greatest, but Indiana has also defied NBA odds.

To put it bluntly, the Pacers even making their way to Game 7 in this conference championship series is a victory in itself. It’s worth noting, however, that the Pacers didn’t just make it here — they’ve emerged as a legitimate title contender, striking more fear in the hearts of Heat supporters than any team since Miami fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 postseason.

Might the Heat come up short of a title again? According to oddsmakers, it’s possible but unlikely. Then again, according to oddsmakers, the Heat were forecast to steamroll their way through Paul George, Roy Hibbert and company en route to the finals.

The Heat are seven-point favorite for the critical Game 7 and still have 2-3 odds of winning the NBA championship outright.

Eventually Indiana’s patience with the sports world might run short, and who can blame them? Will they ever truly get the recognition they deserve as bona fide Eastern threats? In the past six months, basketball fans have seen them rise to the forefront of the conference, to the point where they stand toe-to-toe with the consensus NBA favorite. It hasn’t translated to public opinion, though.

While James and the Big Three struggle to back up their unprecedented hype and expectations, the Pacers have slowly made stars out of George, Hibbert and David West, who have each embraced the limelight that has come with their deep postseason run.

Many knew that Frank Vogel’s Pacers were one of the deepest, most defensively sound organizations of the past half-decade, but few imagined their efforts would pay off in such a significant manner.

Still, considering the lingering buzz that leans toward Miami, the Pacers have just 15-2 odds on those same NBA futures — the discrepancy, of course, indicative of just how little recognition the franchise gets when push comes to shove.

Unfortunately, that’s not likely to change until they officially eliminate the Miami Heat and inherit the throne atop the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

It just may happen Monday night.

This post is presented by Bovada.

The Sox can match that total by winning just once in this weekend’s three-game set at Yankee Stadium, although New York will be approximately a -150 series favorite. The Yankees are also the +190 favorite to win the AL East, with the Sox at +225.

Boston opened the season by winning two of three at the Yankee Stadium. Jon Lester was solid on Opening Day, allowing two runs and five hits in five innings. The Sox won 8-2, ending the Yankees’ 11-game winning streak in home season openers. Lester has seven career wins at the new Yankee Stadium, the most of any pitcher, and will start Friday night after being originally scheduled to miss this series.

Lester’s counterpart in the opener was Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia, and he’s scheduled to start Friday against Lester once again. Sabathia (4-4, 3.96) says he’s “hurting the team” right now, and he hasn’t been good of late. He has allowed 14 runs and a whopping 30 hits over 19 2/3 innings in his past three starts, although New York won two of them. Sabathia is 0-2 with a 4.80 ERA in May.

Against Boston, Sabathia is 8-10 with a 4.33 ERA in 23 career starts. Back on April 1, he allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings. David Ortiz is hitting .224 with two homers, five RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 49 career at-bats against Sabathia. The Sox may want to start David Ross behind the plate, as he’s 4-for-13 with two homers in his career off the lefty.

Boston’s Clay Buchholz was originally set to start Friday after being scratched Monday with discomfort in his shoulder. He had more discomfort Wednesday, so Lester was moved back from Thursday. He is 10-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 20 starts against the Bombers.

Phil Hughes (2-3, 4.97) is scheduled to pitch Saturday for the Yankees. New York has lost his past three starts, but he was excellent in the previous two, allowing three runs on nine hits in 13 innings. Hughes, who didn’t face Boston in the first series, is 5-6 with a 4.95 ERA in 20 appearances against the Red Sox. Ortiz torches Hughes, hitting .450 with two homers and seven RBIs in 20 at-bats. Dustin Pedroia has three home runs and eight RBIs in 24 at-bats against the righty.

The Sunday night finale features Yankees ace Hiroki Kuroda (6-3, 2.39). He blanked the Mets on four hits over seven innings Tuesday. Kuroda allowed two runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings in the April 4 matchup against the Sox and left in the second with a minor injury to a finger on his pitching hand. Pedroia is hitting .467 in his career against Kuroda with a homer. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the only other Sox hitter to go deep against him.

Eduardo Nunez hit .400 in the first series against Boston but is hurt. Travis Hafner hit .300 with a homer. Kevin Youkilis had four hits in 12 at-bats and should return from the disabled list this weekend. Mark Teixeira is likely to make his season debut. Curtis Granderson is sidelined again for the Yankees. Sox pitchers held Robinson Cano to one hit in 11 at-bats in the first meeting.

This post is presented by Bovada.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the four teams as well as their chances to win it all.

Pittsburgh Penguins

This team is your favorite at 7-2 on the Stanley Cup futures. They had a couple of small hiccups in Round 1 but that was mostly due to problems in net. Since Tomas Vokoun has steadied the situation, this team has looked like an unstoppable juggernaut.

The Pens have scored 47 goals in 11 playoff games and led the NHL with 165 in 48 regular season games, which is a 3.4 goals per game average. In the playoffs, they are averaging nearly one more goal per game (4.3).

They say goaltending and defense wins Stanley Cups, but the Pens are favored to prove that theory wrong.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are a tough team to peg. They needed a miracle to survive the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1 but then easily smoked the New York Rangers in Round 2. Many people believe that they’ve had a relatively easy lineup of opponents so far and that the Penguins will be a significant step up in competition.

However, the Bruins continue to be overlooked. They’re a veteran team who has done it before, and while they never make it look pretty like Pittsburgh, they execute well. Boston plays solid defense and they play a physical brand of hockey. They always give themselves a chance to win, and that’s unlikely to change in the final four.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks were pushed to their limits in Round 2, needing overtime in Game 7 to dispose of the Detroit Red Wings. On paper, this record-setting team looks loaded. Their blue line rotation is probably the best of the remaining teams, their offense should be as good as anyone and their goaltending — the one perceived weakness — has been stellar.

The Blackhawks are in good shape, but they’ll need more out of their stars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to win the Cup.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are the defending champs and at times they’ve looked like it and at other times, they haven’t. Scoring still seems to be an issue as they are averaging just two goals per game in the playoffs. However, goaltender Jonathan Quick is playing out of his mind with a 1.50 goals against average in the playoffs along with a .948 save percentage and three shutouts.

Quick is the best of the four goalies remaining and he can definitely steal a series or two. The Kings’ opportunity to win it all — again — will depend on their offense and what they’ll be able to do in support of Quick.

Make no mistake, the Heat are still the team to beat on any NBA futures with 4-9 odds of winning the championship, but the fact that the Pacers have played them so closely through the first half of their semifinal series — and that the Spurs clinched the West in a dramatic four-game sweep — is concerning.

In Game 4 of the series, Indiana exercised its vaunted defense, holding Miami to 49 percent shooting from the field. LeBron James shot a measly 8-18, suggesting that he may actually be mortal after all.

In the previous three, James enjoyed a more routine 55.7 shooting percentage from the field, in line with the 56.5 percent he shot over the course of his 2012-13 MVP campaign.

More players than just James struggled, however, and that’s more a testament to Indiana’s defensive prowess than simply an off day for Miami. Dwyane Wade’s 5-for-15 from the field, along with Chris Bosh’s 1-for-6, is demonstrative of a team that doesn’t quite have it all figured out.

With Paul George wreaking havoc on the perimeter and big man Roy Hibbert edging closer and closer to stardom with each passing playoff quarter, these Pacers have started to show that not only are they the best of the rest, but also a legitimate threat to the reigning champions.

Since their victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Finals, the Heat have been the top choice to come through in 2013. One can’t help but blame the Miami supporters for latching onto their bandwagon seat and never letting go.

Such expectations, though, make Miami’s pursuit of a second straight title all the more nerve-wracking. While the Pacers have earned genuine respect from basketball minds worldwide, few considered them in the same class as the Big Three-powered Heat.

As the series shifts back to Miami for Game 5, expect much of the same. If we learned anything in the first four games, it’s that home court isn’t particularly advantageous when each opponent is capable of knocking off either on any given evening.

Perhaps the truest test of Indiana’s validity is how their defense capitalizes on their solid Game 4 performance. If they can keep James shooting less than 45 percent from the field, it’s hard to imagine the results being anything but in their favor.

Then again, did we mention that happened just seven times in 76 regular season games this year?

This post is presented by Bovada.

Oddsmakers expect it to continue in 2013 as New England has an over/under wins total of 11.5 (under a slight -120 favorite). That’s tied with Peyton Manning‘s Denver Broncos for the highest win total in the NFL.

The Broncos and Atlanta Falcons led the NFL with 13 regular-season wins in 2012 but neither reached the Super Bowl. Denver was the AFC favorite entering the playoffs on an 11-game winning streak but, thanks largely to blown coverage by safety Rahim Moore, was upset by the Baltimore Ravens 38-35 in double-overtime in the Divisional Round. It was the Broncos’ first loss since New England beat them 31-21 at Gillette Stadium in Week 5.

Manning and Tom Brady face off again this year in Foxboro on Sunday Night Football on November 24. Potential home-field advantage in the postseason could be up for grabs, but it’s also of course Wes Welker‘s return to New England. The Pats are judged to have the 14th-toughest strength of schedule with an opponents’ 2012 winning percentage of .508. Denver has the easiest schedule, with its opponents finishing a combined 110-146 last season.

The Ravens aren’t given much of a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions after losing Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Anquan Boldin and others. They did, however, steal stud defensive end/linebacker Elvis Dumervil away from Denver. Baltimore is given a wins total of just 8.5. The Ravens haven’t won fewer than nine games since 2007 and have won at least one playoff game every year since 2008.

The reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers are the current 6-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl, even after the recent injury suffered by top receiver Michael Crabtree, and have an 11-win total with the over a -125 favorite. That the Niners were able to trade for the Ravens’ Boldin is looking even better now with Crabtree expected to miss much of the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon. San Francisco does have a tough schedule, with two games against Seattle and matchups versus Green Bay, Indianapolis, Houston, New Orleans, Washington and Atlanta.

The Niners’ win total is tops among NFC teams. The Falcons lost a lot off their defense but did sign running back Steven Jackson and are listed at 10 wins (both -115). Many experts like Seattle to reach the Super Bowl this season after adding receiver Percy Harvin and defensive end Cliff Avril, and the Seahawks are projected with 10.5 wins, with the over a -150 favorite.

Green Bay and Houston also are at 10 1/2 wins. In the AFC East, the Dolphins are projected at 7.5, the Jets at 6.5 (anything less than a playoff spot no doubt gets Rex Ryan fired) and the Bills at 6.5.

The team with the hardest 2013 strength of schedule is the Panthers and they project to seven wins. The Saints, now that coach Sean Payton is back, are at 9.5. The Jaguars have the lowest win total on the board at five.

This post is presented by Bovada.

As the series has shifted north to Indiana, the Heat have shown yet more reason why they lead league futures with 1-3 odds of winning the NBA championship. The Pacers, in contrast, have just 14-1 odds, while the Western Conference Finals-leading San Antonio Spurs sit second on the list with 5-2 odds of their own.

Where this Eastern clash gets interesting, however, is with the Pacers’ roster. While few may have considered Indiana a genuine title threat at the beginning of the best-of-seven series, there’s been no denying the fact that they’re one of just a few NBA teams capable of keeping pace with Miami.

Much of that, of course, comes down to the combination of perimeter All-Star Paul George and Indiana big man Roy Hibbert anchoring down the middle.

George has averaged 19.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this postseason, but it’s his length, athleticism and defensive potential to slow James that’s made him and the Pacers such a formidable force.

Hibbert has posted 15.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs, but the most significant numbers in his portfolio are still his physical specifications. At 7-foot-2 and near 290 pounds, he’s a traditional big man that provides a shot-altering presence in the paint on the defensive end.

If the two provide the defensive insurance that Indiana has come to expect from them, then suddenly the dominant Heat look mortal. Considering they’ve been cast as locks to win the 2013 title since their championship parade last summer, that has to be considered a minor victory.

Unfortunately for Pacers fans — not to mention the NBA betting community who’re hoping for a legendary upset — the Heat have started to show that perhaps no amount of Indiana talent can slow their progress.

James, despite George and Hibbert, has averaged 29.3 points per game on .557 shooting from the field.

The Pacers haven’t exactly been getting reliable production from their offense, either, at least not to the extent that fans hoped for after watching their strong showings in Games 1 and 2. In Game 3, George was limited to just 13 points, while the club combined for a sub-.400 shooting performance from the field.

After the optimism that abounded throughout the betting world and blogosphere, it seems as though reality may be starting to set in for the Eastern Conference Finals. The question is whether we will see the Pacers go silently or whether they will surprise us all one last time.

This post is presented by Bovada.

The Tribe will be around +140 series underdogs, however, for their lone visit of the season to Fenway Park starting Thursday night.

Francona spent last season working for ESPN. He was hired by the Indians in October, getting the job over Sandy Alomar Jr., who was the team’s interim manager for the final six games of 2012. Francona had plenty of ties to the franchise, working in the front office in 2001. He also spent 62 games in 1988 as a player with Cleveland, and his father Tito played for the Tribe from 1959-64.

Cleveland, which is the +300 second favorite to Detroit to win the Central, was swept three games at home by the Red Sox from April 16-18, being outscored 19-8, but has been mostly rolling since. The Indians have really stepped it up against star pitchers, going 7-1 against past Cy Young Award winners this season entering Wednesday’s game against the Tigers’ Justin Verlander. The Indians lead the majors in home runs and slugging percentage.

Zach McAllister (3-3, 2.65) is scheduled to start Thursday. He lost to the Red Sox on April 18, allowing three runs and six hits in five innings. It was his shortest outing of the season, although he did strike out seven. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning. Dustin Pedroia has the most career at-bats versus McAllister, going 3-for-9 with two RBIs.

Justin Masterson, dealt by Boston to Cleveland in the Victor Martinez deal in 2009, starts Friday. Masterson (7-2, 2.83) is the Tribe’s clear-cut ace and hasn’t allowed a run over 16 innings in his past two starts. The Sox tagged him for four runs and 11 hits in five innings April 17. Masterson has a career 3.80 ERA in 99.1 innings at Fenway. Mike Napoli is hitting .313 with a homer in 16 at-bats against Masterson. David Ortiz has one home run in 13 at-bats.

Scott Kazmir (2-2, 6.35) goes Saturday. The lefty once was a rising ace with Tampa Bay, a two-time All-Star, but his career went downhill fast and he didn’t pitch in the majors for nearly two years. Kazmir won the fifth spot in Cleveland’s rotation this spring. Kazmir, 29, hasn’t faced Boston since 2010. He has allowed nine runs over eight innings in his past two starts. Pedroia feasts off Kazmir in his career, hitting .515 with a homer in and just one strikeout in 33 at-bats.

On Sunday, Cleveland starts Corey Kluber (3-3, 5.19). He pitched Tuesday against Detroit and allowed three runs and eight hits in 6.1 innings in the loss. Kluber threw an inning of relief April 17 against the Sox and allowed a run and three hits. No Red Sox player has more than three at-bats against him.

Former Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher has done the most damage to Boston pitching among Tribe hitters this season, batting .273 with a homer and two RBIs. Cleveland batters hit only .198 with 27 strikeouts in that first Boston series.

This post is presented by Bovada.

In the first round of this postseason, we saw the Grizz bounce back out of a 2-0 deficit to promptly eliminate the Clippers in Game 6. While there’s much to be said of the difference between a young team like L.A. and a veteran ball club like San Antonio, it would be naive to assume that the same couldn’t happen, especially as the series moves to Tennessee.

Memphis defying expectations is not a story limited to the postseason. It started with the regular season (and for much of the past half-decade, while we’re at it). With an egoless roster composed of a handful of offensive weapons and invaluable pieces, the Grizzlies have made short work of some of the greatest quote-unquote superstars the NBA has to offer.

 Kevin Durant? Check. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin? Check and check.

Unlike the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, however, the Spurs have been around the block before. In fact, it’s quite likely that this Spurs team has served as one of the inspirations for the team that Memphis general manager Chris Wallace (a former Boston Celtics man) has built for himself.

In a league often dominated by individuals, the Grizzlies — like the Spurs of the past two decades and the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons — have been able to win games without relying solely on the otherworldly skill of one or two of their stars.

If Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph can continue to methodically pick away at opponents with their combination of high- and low-post skills, while Tony Allen serves as the lockdown defender and fire-starter he’s come to be known, the Grizzlies can hang with anybody.

Their humility and team effort (rather than trying to force star players to produce) have allowed them to thrive in the postseason after all. If it’s not Gasol, Randolph or Allen, then it could well be Mike Conley on the point, Jerryd Bayless or Tayshaun Prince.

The pressure then, falls on San Antonio, despite its two-game series lead and 13-4 odds of winning the NBA championship. Can Gregg Popovich and company prove that they’re still the prime example of a basketball team that knows how to play the game the right way?

This post is presented by Bovada.

That’s not to say, however, that the Indiana Pacers aren’t getting their share of attention from critics, oddsmakers and diehard hoops fans alike. Such is life when a once-overlooked midwestern franchise takes the basketball world by storm, making short work of the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

These days, while the Heat still sit atop the NBA futures with 1-3 odds of winning the title, the Pacers are acknowledged as a legitimate threat. Though few have shown glimpses of an ability to retain Heat superstar LeBron James, Indiana swingman Paul George is on the short list of those who possess the potential.

In addition to his defensive prowess, athleticism and sheer length on the wing, George has exhibited an offensive touch that has put him on the household radar. No longer just a fringe All-Star over whom league coaches and scouts drool, George edges closer and closer to superstardom with each Indiana victory.

George alone, however, won’t be enough to get this Pacers ballclub past the back-to-back NBA Finalist Heat. Miami, with James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen, has been on the fast track to the 2013 crown since, well, they wore the 2012 crown.

That’s why, no matter how impressive George has been this spring — or how competent big men Roy Hibbert and David West have been for the Pacers in their frontcourt — Indiana has just 16-1 odds of winning the NBA championship.

These are just numbers, sure, but they serve as a quantifiable indication of where the public stands on the series. We would love to see an underdog like the Pacers thrive under the national spotlight of the Eastern Conference Finals, but we’re reluctant to accept it as a reality.

Fortunately for basketball fans, that just sets the stage for an even sweeter best-of-seven series. The Heat may end up pushing their way through to their third conference title in as many years, but you’d be naive to think that a hardy collection of thoroughly balanced, criminally underrated Pacers aren’t capable of at least stealing one or two victories and making things interesting.

This post is presented by Bovada.