The Indiana Pacers evened up their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat on Tuesday and will feel confident in their ability to create a major upset. The Miami Heat were without their All-Star forward Chris Bosh who suffered a possible season ending injury in game 1.

Indiana’s defense was effective throughout the game, keeping LeBron and Wade in check for most of the night and causing them to have suboptimal nights. Despite poor efforts from Granger and George once again on the offensive end, Indiana’s two perimeter threats were active on the defensive end. Barbosa provided offensive power off the bench and David West was among the key players in the 4th quarter.

The Heat must now win on the road, and will have to do so without Chris Bosh. The Eastern Conference really seems to have been blown wide open with the injuries suffered by some key players in the NBA.

How long until the football season begins? A little under three months or a little under four months? It’s almost impossible to answer as there are those who believe that all football is competitive*, beginning with the annual curtain raiser, the Hall of Fame Game, which this year happens to fall on August 5. Exactly one month later, with the appetite well and truly whetted, the small matter of the 2012 NFL regular season kicks off, when Dallas visits New York to take on the world champion Giants.

So, which way do you fall? Are you a preseason guy or does that pass you by simply because there’s no fantasy value to be had? The truth is, is that it’s difficult not to place a high enough emphasis on the preseason, if only for the fact that hundreds of players are fighting for a prized roster spot and thus the chance to compete for the Lombardi trophy. Yes, lofty expectations when a third stringer is hanging in there by the skin of his teeth, but it’s the mere thought of having the chance to touch that trophy that spurs such players on. That, and by the very nature of playing a role on a team, of being part of a special collective, something that nobody can take away; truly a dream fulfilled.

On a more personal level, other reasons present themselves, from the guy from your college team you desperately want to see make it or the undrafted free agent sleeper that you told just about everybody was the diamond in the rough who’d one day prove thirty one teams wrong.

Why the meandering to this point? To place myself firmly in the preseason camp…the football season is a little under three months away, which means it’s never too early for me to mull over what the Sportsbooks are looking like in Vegas and, thanks to Cantor Gaming, I have the opportunity to pore over every Seahawks spread, discounting Week 17, which, for reasons of competitive balance, haven’t been posted.

This is quite fascinating as these spreads are going to change, and in some cases very stupidly and very dramatically, so let’s see what the future holds right now in one corner of Vegas.

*The Pro Bowl most definitely isn’t competitive.

WEEK 1                 at Arizona Cardinals   

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 2

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 1.5

WEEK 2                 vs. Dallas Cowboys

Vegas Line: Cowboys + 1.5

Rob’s Line: Cowboys + 2.5

WEEK 3                 vs. Green Bay Packers

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 6

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 5.5

WEEK 4                 at St. Louis Rams

Vegas Line: Rams + 1

Rob’s Line: Rams + 2.5

WEEK 5                 at Carolina Panthers

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 3.5

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 3.5

WEEK 6                 vs. New England Patriots

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 6

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 6.5

WEEK 7                 at San Francisco 49ers

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 7

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 6.5

WEEK 8                 at Detroit Lions

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 6.5

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 6.5

WEEK 9                 vs. Minnesota Vikings

Vegas Line: Vikings + 5.5

Rob’s Line: Vikings + 9.5

WEEK 10              vs. New York Jets

Vegas Line: Jets + 1.5

Rob’s Line: Jets + 4.5

WEEK 11              BYE WEEK

WEEK 12              at Miami Dolphins

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 3

Rob’s Line: Dolphins + 2.5

WEEK 13              at Chicago Bears  

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 5.5

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 6.5

WEEK 14              vs. Arizona Cardinals

Vegas Line: Cardinals + 4

Rob’s Line: Cardinals + 5.5

WEEK 15              at Buffalo Bills

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 3.5

Rob’s Line: Seahawks + 4.5

WEEK 16              vs. San Francisco 49ers

Vegas Line: Seahawks + 2.5

Rob’s Line: 49ers + 0.5

WEEK 17              vs. St. Louis Rams

Vegas Line: NO LINE POSTED

Rob’s Line: Rams + 7.5

There are a couple of discrepancies, but that’s always to be expected. However, the Seahawks receiving a field goal start in Miami???

We are in the final week of our Premier League predictions challenge, where our panel of experts give their predictions for each match on the English Premier League calendar. If you need a refresher on who’s taking part in the competition and the rules behind it all, click on the link above to get caught up.

Last Week’s Results
Before we proceed to the Premier League week 38 predictions, let’s take a look at the results from the past matchday. Green highlight represents a correctly guessed match.

Current Standings
Here are latest rankubgs according to money ‘earned’. Frisky looks to have solidified his lead at the top, but as we have seen all too many times in this competition, anything can happen.

Week 38 EPL Predictions:
Here below you can find the Barclays Premier League predictions for week 38. The Premier League odds for week 38 have also been included for transparency’s sake.

We’ll be sure to provide a final update to the challenge following this weekend’s round of action.

The Ultimate Fighter has finally hit Australia and what a background setting it will be subjected to when Australia’s finest will stand to the ultimate challenge of opposition from the UK. The reality show has been titled The Smashes – after the heated rivalry the two sides have faced on the cricket pitch.

The first time The Ultimate Fighter featured two nations competing against each other was when the USA took on the UK in Season 7 headlined by coaches Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson.

Tryouts will take place in June and will feature fighters from 61kg to 77kg all competing under one roof in Australia. TUF is currently trying a new format on FX with its live fights and also a season of TUF Brazil is also underway.

While Real Madrid and Barcelona weren’t able to provide an all-Spanish Champions League final this year as many would have hoped, we were instead treated to an all-Spanish UEFA Europa League final as Atletico Madrid took on Athletic Bilbao. This is the second time in three years that Atletico take the coveted Europa League trophy home.

Diego Simone’s side took control of the match from the get-go, with Falaco scoring an exquisite volley 7 minutes into the match. The 35 million pound signing from Porto showed his class once again in the 34th minute with a pass by Turkish International Arda Turan resulting in another net ripping strike by the Portugese sensation. Diego got his name on the scoresheet in the closing minutes as Atletico Madrid wrapped up a deserved win over their Spanish counterparts who stand in 10th place in the Spanish Primera.

Atletico Madrid also achieved a milestone with their win over Bilbao as they broke the record for consecutive wins the Europa League with 12 straight wins. They will need another win in their last league game this weekend and hope for some luck in order to grab that 4th and final Champions League spot from Malaga.

It might not have been as flashy of a return as The Rock or even Brock Lesnar, but Paul Heyman made a comeback to the WWE on Monday after a six year absence from the company. Heyman was last seen trying to revive the ECW which had been acquired by the WWE, but conflicts with Vince McMahon had prevented the once extreme wrestling organization to ever take off.

Paul Heyman’s new role was stated as the legal advisor of Brock Lesnar, a role that he is comfortable with having already worked with Brock in the past. With Brock Lesnar only having a limit number of dates on his contract, it makes sense for the WWE to use someone as experienced and talented on the mic to represent Lesnar.

Backstage rumors suggest that Heyman will stick around until Summerslam, which will cultivate in a match between Triple H and Brock Lesnar. In the mean time, we can also expect Heyman to perhaps help out some other struggling heels. The manager positions in the WWE are picking up, but Heyman will surely stand at the top of the heap with his natural flair as a heel.

Coming off their 13th straight playoff loss, the New York Knicks finally got themselves in the win column this past Sunday and helped prolong their playoff hopes for yet another game. Carmelo Anthony had his first big game of the series, scoring 41 points along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Amar’e Stoudemire returned to the lineup despite injuring his hand in Game 2 and was playing with a heavily wrapped left hand. Stoudemire contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds on 8-13 shooting. Baron Davis was the lastest casualty of the 2012 NBA playoffs – an injury that might have very well ended his career.

For Miami it was a missed opportunity to close out what could be a dangerous team if given confidence. Lebron James and Dwyane Wade had sub-par nights by their extreme standards combining for 49 points. Chris Bosh chipped in 17 points days after becoming a father for the firs time – no other player in the game was in double digits.

The Knicks now travel back to Miami in a must win game. Without point guard Baron Davis, there is a slim hope that Jeremy Lin would make a come back.

The 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks might go down in history as one of the most underappreciated championship teams of all time, as they were handily swept from this year’s playoffs might the Western Conference’s new top dog in Oklahoma City.

Taking down a team as talented as the Miami Heat was a feat to behold, but when Mark Cuban decided to let go of Tyson Chandler and Barrea – it was clear that this year was sacrificed in hopes of giving flexibility in the future.

Despite all this, the Mavericks gave a good fight despite what the series score might suggest. The first two games could have easily gone either way. It’s still undeniable that they need a bolt of youth to bolster their lineup as players like Jason Kidd and Vince Carter started showing their age.

It remains to be seen how the new look Mavericks will look going forward. Jason Kidd has said he won’t return barring at least a mid-level exception contract. Jason Terry is also a free agent. The Mavericks are in need of a solid point guard and center – so Deron Williams and Dwight Howard are the clear targets in the offseason.

We are back with the 30th week of our Premier League predictions challenge, where our panel of experts give their predictions for each match on the English Premier League calendar. If you need a refresher on who’s taking part in the competition and the rules behind it all, click on the link above to get caught up.

Last Week’s Results
Before we proceed to the Premier League week 36 predictions, let’s take a look at the results from the past matchday. Green highlight represents a correctly guessed match.

Current Standings
Here are the overall standings after week 35 ranked according to money ‘earned’. We’re really running out of superlatives to describe the intensity of this year’s Premier League Predictions Challenge. It seems like this close battle is really going to be decided by one or two games – which is quite crazy considering there have been over 300 match predictions made over the course of the season.

Week 36 EPL Predictions:
Here below you can find the Barclays Premier League predictions for week 36. The Premier League odds for week 36 have also been included for transparency’s sake.

We’ll be back next week with the Premier League Predictions Challenge week 36 fallout and records of each punter so make sure to stay tuned as we find out whose sporting opinion is REALLY worth listening to.

2012 was suppose to be the year UFC became mainstream, with the FOX deal serving to bring tons of new people to the sport. So far, no significant change has been noted in the fanbase of the UFC. Some of that could have to do with the fact the first 2 UFC on FOX events were rather uneventful. The UFC took special measures this time around to guarantee a main event showcase that would thrill fans by setting up a lightweight top contender fight of Nick Diaz vs Jim Miller.

Nate Diaz has been one of the most exciting fighters in the past 12 months with dominant wins over several top fighters in the division. Jim Miller has had to work his way backup following a decision loss to current Champion Benson Henderson. The two are well versed mixed martial artists and wherever the fight goes, it should be exciting from a fan point of view.

The co-main event will feature UFC vet Josh Koscheck vs Johny Hendricks – who just happens to be the wrestler du-jour in the welterweight division following a 12 second knockout of Jon Fitch. Koscheck was rather lackluster in his last fight against Mike Pierce but keeps an impressive record going and with motivation to boot as he has recently left AKA for his own camp in Fresno.

Rousimar Palhares vs Alan Belcher is also on the main card – with Palhares hoping to continue his out of nowhere submissions that has gotten the whole division to take notice, and preferably avoid him in a fight. Alan Belcher has been a cool customer however and doesn’t seem fazed by the Brazilians leg locks. It will be interesting to see how this fight progresses and whether one of the two fighters can win in decisive fashion to get their name in the hat for a possible championship match in the near future.

Last but certainly not least on the UFC on FOX 3 main card is heavyweight fight between Pat Barry vs Lavar Johnson. Both are coming off impressive recent wins and this one is practically guaranteed to end in KO. Pat Barry is the more traditional kickboxer who will be looking to land some solid leg kicks, while Lavar Johnson is simply a huge tough guy with a rocket right hand. Don’t tweet and watch when this fight gets going because you might just miss the fight of the night.