The Heat and Pacers can begin sorting out their pseudo-feud on the basketball court tonight. The Tiger-Sergio feud has reached a boil and is overshadowing strong fields on both the European and PGA Tours this week. In hockey, heavily-favored Chicago is on thin ice. In tennis, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are ready to lead the way on the red dirt of Roland Garros.

(Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag unless otherwise indicated).

NBA Championship

Miami Heat (-250) – Miami has lost a total of just one game through two series in its quest for a second straight title. All signs, except for Dwyane Wade’s questionable health, point to a repeat. Heading into Wednesday’s Eastern Conference Finals opener vs. Indiana, the Heat are -650 favorites to win the series. They are -8 home favorites in Game 1.

San Antonio Spurs (+260) – The Spurs could — and arguably should — have trailed Golden State 2-0 in their second-round series. Exactly two weeks later they are suddenly two games away from a berth in the NBA Finals. An overtime survival on Tuesday allowed San Antonio to maintain home-court advantage over Memphis.

Indiana Pacers (+1600) – Indiana has already done well for itself this postseason. First it won two series, and then its head coach engaged in a war of words with LeBron James. This series is already more entertaining than expected, and it hasn’t even started! According to the odds, Miami in five games is the most likely outcome (+110). A sweep is +250. The Pacers are +1500 to win in six games and +2000 to pull off the upset.

Memphis Grizzlies (+1700) – Head-to-head, Memphis has no real business being more of a long-shot than Indiana — especially based on the caliber of their respective current opposition. However, the bottom line is that the Grizzlies are down 2-0, and the Pacers are not…. Well, at least not yet.

Stanley Cup (odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook)

Pittsburgh Penguins (+190) – The Penguins have not been dominant as considerable Eastern Conference favorites, but they got past the Islanders and are now leading the Senators, 2-1. Pittsburgh is -150 favorite at Ottawa in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Chicago Blackhawks (+375) – Chicago’s course for a Stanley Cup Finals showdown against the Pens may be getting derailed. The ‘Hawks have lost two in a row to Detroit and trail their Western Conference Semifinals series 2-1. They are still +160 favorites to win the west.

Boston Bruins (+400) – On May 13, the Bruins were in a Game 7 just to get out of the first round after blowing a 3-1 series lead against Toronto, and they were facing a 4-1 third-period deficit. Fast forward nine days, and Boston is suddenly one game away from the conference finals thanks to a four-game winning streak.

Los Angeles Kings (+600) – The defending champions are enduring a roller-coaster of a postseason. They lost two in a row, won six in a row, and have now lost two in a row once again. The result is a 2-2 tie in their conference semifinal series against San Jose. Jonathan Quick is second in save percentage and third in goals-against average for the playoffs.

French Open


Rafael Nadal (-175) – Nadal is an outrageous 52-1 lifetime at Roland Garros, seven times a champion and currently the three-time defending champion. The king of clay is already a heavy favorite (well less than even money, and the tournament hasn’t even started) in part because he is coming off back-to-back Masters Series titles in Madrid and Rome.

Novak Djokovic (+160) – The French Open is the only missing piece in Djokovic’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam. Last year was the closest he has ever come (lost to Nadal 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the final). Early losses in Madrid and Rome do not bode well, but the Serb is 8-3 in his last 11 vs. Nadal, including a straight-set win last month on clay in Monte-Carlo.

Roger Federer (+1000) – Federer has one chance to win Roland Garros for a second time: have Nadal land in Djokovic’s half of the draw and lose to the world No. 1 in the semifinals. The third-ranked Swiss can beat anyone else, but his 6-1, 6-3 blowout loss to Nadal in Rome confirmed what we already knew about his prospects vs. his arch rival.

David Ferrer (+2000) – A final for Ferrer is not entirely out of the question because he could avoid both Nadal and Djokovic in his half of the bracket. However, his first major title at 31 years old is way too much to ask — especially because he is not as on fire now as he was in 2012.

BMW Championship

Luke Donad (+750) – It is a blockbuster field on the European Tour this week as players look to fine-tune their games for next month’s U.S. Open. Enjoying the friendly confines of home in England, Donald is the two-time defending champion of this event. Donald is not in his very best form this season, but he has two Top-5s and he has not missed a cut in seven starts. A return to the Wentworth Club should only help the No. 6 player in the world.

Rory McIlroy (+1000) – McIlroy is still in search of his first tournament title in 2013, but he may be heating up in time for the crucial summer stretch. The second-ranked Irishman has three Top-10s in his last three starts, including an eighth-place showing at The Players Championship.

Lee Westwood (+1200) – Arguably the best player without a major now that Adam Scott owns a green jacket, Westwood finished runner-up to Donald in a playoff at the 2011 installment of this event. The in-form Englishman has four consecutive Top-10 performances, including a tie with McIlroy for eighth at The Players.

Justin Rose (+1200) – Speaking of finishing second behind Donald at the Wentworth Club, that’s exactly what Rose did last year. The No. 4 player in the world was paired with his countryman in the final round before coming up four strokes short. Rose has three Top-10s this season, but he is coming off a missed cut at The Players.

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