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With NBA MVP LeBron James now on board with the Miami Heat, some props related to the signing of the game’s top player are now available. Here’s a look at a several of the props:

Miami Heat – Total wins in the 2010-2011 NBA Regular Season (Ov/Un: 65)

In his final two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James led the club to the best regular season mark in the league. The Cavs won 61 games last season after putting together a 66-16 record in the 2008-09 campaign. Miami’s best year was a 61-21 mark in the 1996-97 season. Since Dwyane Wade has been with the Heat, the team’s top year was a 59-23 record in 2004-05.

How Many NBA Championships will the Miami Heat win in the next 6 seasons? (Ov/Un: 2.5)

In the last two decades, three franchises have been able to win three or more titles over a six-year period. The Chicago Bulls won six championships over an eight-season run from 1990-91 to 1998. The Los Angeles Lakers captured three consecutive titles from 1999-2000 to 2001-02. Finally, the San Antonio Spurs were able to win three championships in a span of five years from 2002-03 to 2006-07.

How Many Points will LeBron James average during the 2010-2011 NBA Season? (Ov/Un: 23.5)

With the opportunity to play alongside Wade and Chris Bosh, most feel that James will see his scoring numbers decline a little bit this season. Last year, James finished second in the league in scoring at 29.7 points per game. In his career, he is averaging 27.8 points per outing. The only time that James averaged less than 23.5 points per game was in his rookie season (20.9). In the last six years, his totals have ranged from a low of 27.2 in 2004-05 to a high of 31.4 in 2005-06.

How Many Assists will LeBron James average during the 2010-2011 NBA Season?  (Ov/Un: 9)

Last season, James posted a career high in assists at 8.6 per game. In his career, he is averaging an even 7 assists per outing. While James is a small forward, there are times when he handles the ball like a point guard. With Wade and Bosh as options on the Miami offense, James could have some easier opportunities to build up his assists total than he did with a Cleveland squad that lacked another dominant scorer.

After coming up with the free agent trifecta, the Miami Heat have been installed as a +180 favorite to capture the 2010-11 NBA championship. With the signings of LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors to join Dwyane Wade on the club’s roster, Miami has assembled one of the most dynamic star trios in the history of the league. With Wade leading the way, the Heat won its only previous championship in the 2005-06 campaign.

Defending champions are still in the mix

The two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers are the next choice at +300. With head coach Phil Jackson (11 NBA titles) on board for his final season, LA is likely to win its fourth straight Western Conference title.

The Orlando Magic (+800) are expected to be Miami’s biggest threat in the East. Orlando has been to the NBA’s “Final Four” in each of the last two seasons. The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (+1000) are expected to be in the title mix again this year. The club was able to resign free agents Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to keep its key parts in place.

In the West, the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder are the next choice behind the Lakers at +1200. Led by NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant, the young Thunder are expected to make some more strides after reaching the postseason a year ago.The Dallas Mavericks (+1500) will try to challenge Los Angeles again in the West with its veteran roster.

The Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers are the next contenders at odds of +2000. While Chicago lost out on a bid to land James in free agency, the team was still able to land a big addition this offseason. The Bulls signed forward Carlos Boozer away from the Utah Jazz. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2009, the Nuggets regressed last season. Denver star forward Carmello Anthony will be entering free agency at the end of the 2010-11 season. Like Oklahoma City, Portland is a young and talented squad.

The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs round out the list of the most viable contenders at +2500 each. Houston star center Yao Ming is set to return to the lineup after missing all of last season. With James no longer on board in Cleveland, the Cavaliers (+10000) are now one of the biggest long shots to win the title.

Wherever he plays in the 2010-11 NBA season, LeBron James is the favorite to capture his third straight MVP award. The free agent star is a +100 choice to win the league’s top individual honor again. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin and Larry Bird are the only three players in the history of the NBA to win three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards. Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant are behind James at odds of +500.

Bryant, who will turn 32 prior to the start of the season, won the 2007-08 MVP award. Like James, Wade is in this summer’s free agent class. There is a good deal of speculation that James and Wade will become teammates for the Miami Heat. If the two stars joined forces, it might be more difficult for them to put up MVP-like numbers. Durant will have just celebrated his 22nd birthday when the new season gets underway. After winning the scoring title last season, he will certainly be in the running for the MVP this season.

Denver Nuggets forward Carmello Anthony (+800) is one of the NBA’s top performers but is sometimes overlooked in comparison to some of the other stars in the league. After winning the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in each of the last two seasons, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard will be seeking the top overall trophy in the league. He will need to boost his offensive game to have a real shot at winning the MVP this year. The last pure center to win the MVP award was Shaquille O’ Neal in 1999-2000.

Duke, Purdue are co-favorites to win NCAA hoops crown

The defending NCAA champion Duke Blue Devils are expected to get a significant challenge in the 2010-11 season from a team that lost to Duke in the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA tournament. Duke and the Purdue Boilermakers are +500 co-favorites to cut down the nets in the upcoming college hoops season.

While the Blue Devils lost Jon Scheyer to graduation, guard Nolan Smith and forward Kyle Singler are back for their senior campaigns. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has once again brought in a talented freshmen class to compliment his returning upperclassmen.

The Boilermakers will have one of the top senior trios in all of college basketball this season. Center JaJuan Johnson, forward Robbie Hummel and guard E’Twaun Moore all averaged 16 points per game a year ago. A late season injury to Hummel hurt Purdue’s chances of a Final Four bid in the 2009-10 campaign.

More often than not in the last two decades, the NBA Finals has crowned a champion before a deciding seventh game. In the last 21 NBA Finals, there have been only two series that have been decided in a maximum of seven games. In 1994, the Houston Rockets defeated the New York Knicks in seven games. Eleven years later, the San Antonio Spurs took down the Detroit Pistons in a deciding seventh contest. If the Los Angeles Lakers can come through as a home favorite on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics, the 2010 finals will go to a seventh game on Thursday evening at the Staples Center.

Home teams have won the last four seventh games in the NBA Finals. The 1978 Washington Bullets were the last road squad to win a seventh game  in the NBA Finals.

Boston takes lead back to west coast

After stealing the homecourt edge with a road win in Game 2 at Los Angeles, the Celtics promptly lost Game 3 at home last Tuesday. The Lakers came away with a 91-84 victory in Game 3 as a 2.5-point underdog. The game went under the closing total of 191. In a critical Game 4 on Thursday, the Celtics responded with a 96-89 win as a 4-point choice to even the series at two games apiece. Once again, the contest went under the closing over/under of 190.5.

On Sunday, Boston took a lead in the series for the first time with a 92-86 victory in Game 5 as a 2-point favorite. For the third straight game, the total result was an under for an over/under of 189.5. In Game 6, the Lakers are a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 187.5. While all three games in Boston went under the total, the first two games of the series in Los Angeles went over the total.

Regarding the odds to win the series, both teams are at -110. If the Lakers can send the finals to a deciding seventh game, history will be against Los Angeles. On four previous occasions (1962, 1966, 1969 and 1984), the Celtics and Lakers have gone the distance in the NBA Finals. Each time, Boston emerged with a victory. Overall, the Celtics are a perfect 7-0 in seventh games of the NBA Finals. Since the franchise moved to Los Angeles, the Lakers are just 1-5 in seventh games of the NBA Finals.

The Chicago Blackhawks are just four wins away from its first Stanley Cup title since 1961 after sweeping past the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals. It has been a dramatic turnaround for the franchise. Beginning with the 1997-98 season, Chicago went through a rapid period of decline. Over a ten-year stretch, the Blackhawks were able to reach the postseason only once. However, Chicago was finally able to make some strides last year with a trip to the conference finals. This year, the club was considered a legitimate title contender heading into the postseason after gaining the number two-seed in the West during the regular season.

Now, Chicago will prepare themselves to meet the Philadelphia Flyers who rolled past the Montreal Canadiens in four games. The results of this year’s playoffs show that anything is possible. Philadelphia became just the third team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit in the conference semi-finals against Boston. Meanwhile, Montreal has already rallied from a pair of 3-1 series deficits to reach this point.

Although there has been substantially wild and unpredictable turn of events, in Monday’s Game 5, the Flyers were a -195 favorite to close out the series. In the Stanley Cup futures pool, Chicago is a solid -300 choice to win the championship, while Philadelphia is at +1900.

Celtics closing in on Eastern Conference crown

While the Boston Celtics were an afterthought in most circles entering the postseason, the club is just one win away from reaching the NBA Finals. Boston attempted to sweep the Orlando Magic in Monday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden. However, the Magic were able to push the Eastern finals to a game five.

As the number two-seed in the East, Orlando was a solid favorite to win the series after going 8-0 to open the postseason. However, the Magic rolled over on the road in Game 3 after losing a pair of close calls at home to begin the series.

In the West, the home team has won all three games in the conference finals heading into Tuesday’s Game 4 in Phoenix. The Suns are a 1-point choice over the Los Angeles Lakers in an attempt to even the series. Despite the setback in Game 3, LA is an overwhelming -700 choice to advance to the NBA Finals. To win the championship, the Lakers are the overall favorite at -255 while the Celtics are at +150.

For the second straight year, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have failed to capitalize on an outstanding regular season. Last season, the Cavs had the home court advantage throughout the postseason after posting a league-best 66-16 record. However, Cleveland came up short in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic. This season, the Cavs once again were the NBA’s top regular season squad after finishing with a 61-21 mark. With a 2-1 series lead in the conference semi-finals against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland appeared to be on its way to a rematch against Orlando. Boston won Game 4 to even the series heading back to Cleveland for Game 5. As a 7-point favorite, the Cavs were crushed in a 120-88 setback. Boston finished off the series with a 94-85 victory at home in Game 6.

Eastern Conference

The fourth-seeded Celtics continued its postseason surge with a 92-88 win at second-seed Orlando in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic were a 7-point choice in the contest. In a must win game, Orlando was once again a 7-point home favorite for Tuesday’s Game, yet they failed to garner the much needed win.

To win the NBA title, the Magic are the top choice in the East at +220 while the Celtics are at +300. While Boston is seeking to add to its record of 17 NBA championships, Orlando is looking for its first ever NBA crown. The Magic have been to the finals on two previous occasions (1995 and 2009).

Western Conference

While the Eastern Conference Finals is basically a toss up, the matchup in the West could develop into a mismatch. The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers rolled to an easy 128-107 home victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals over the third-seeded Phoenix Suns. LA was a 6-point favorite in the contest. For Wednesday’s Game 2, the Lakers were a 6.5-point favorite at the Staples Center with an over/under of 215.  This proved to be correct, as the Lakers easily dominated Phoenix.

To win the series, Los Angeles is a -600 choice heading into Game 2. In the NBA futures pool, the Lakers are the overall favorite at -105 while the Suns are at +1075. Since 1980, LA is 15-2 in the Western Conference Finals. Phoenix is just 2-6 in conference finals in its franchise history.

Of the four conference semi-finals series in this year’s NBA postseason, the matchup between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs was expected to be the most competitive. After four frustrating setbacks to the Spurs in the playoffs since 2003, the Suns gained a small measure revenge with a surprising four-game series sweep.

Eastern Conference

The defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic are a perfect 7-0 in this year’s postseason heading into Game 4 of its semi-finals series against the Atlanta Hawks. Orlando has won its first three games against Atlanta by an average margin of 29 points. For Monday’s Game 4 in Atlanta, the Magic were favored by 6.5 points.

In the other series, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers are in a tight battle with the Boston Celtics. With the series tied at 2-2, the Cavaliers were a 7.5-point favorite for Tuesday’s Game 5 in Cleveland, and they procured a spectacular win. For the series price, the Cavaliers are a -425 choice. In the NBA futures pool, Orlando is now the overall favorite to win the championship at +165 while Cleveland is just behind at +170.

Western Conference

The Suns are back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in four years. In the other semi-finals series, the Los Angles Lakers left with a series sweep on Monday night at Utah against the Jazz. In Game 4, Utah was a 3.5-point choice to keep the series alive. For NBA title odds, Los Angeles is at +195 while Phoenix is priced at +525.

Duke favored to repeat in college hoops

The Duke Blue Devils have been installed as the early favorite to capture the 2010-11 NCAA hoops title. Duke is at +500 to repeat as national champions. With some key personnel returning and a talented freshman class on board, the Blue Devils are in a good spot to make another run this season.

Despite the loss of most of its top players from last season, the Kentucky Wildcats (+800) are still expected to be in the hunt this season. Head coach John Calipari has assembled another top flight recruiting class to replace the players that are heading to the NBA. With most of its top performers from last season set to return, the Purdue Boilermakers are also at +800. After last year’s run to the national title game, the Butler Bulldogs have odds of +3000 to win the championship.

The NBA postseason field has been cut in half with the completion of the first round of the playoffs. Only one of the opening series went the distance. The Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to get by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. There was only one significant upset in the opening round based on seeding. The seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs took out the second-seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games.

Eastern Conference

All four top seeds in the East have reached the conference semi-finals. Top-seed Cleveland is a -800 favorite to advance to the conference finals against fourth-seed Boston. Last Saturday, the Cavaliers rallied from an 11-point third quarter deficit to pull out a 101-93 victory over the Celtics in Cleveland to open the best-of-seven series. The Cavs narrowly covered as a 7-point favorite in the contest.

On the other side of the bracket, the second-seeded Orlando Magic are also a -800 choice over the third-seeded Hawks. Orlando is a 9-point favorite over Atlanta for Tuesday’s Game 1 at Amway Arena. The Magic will have had a week off since its last game on April 26th against Charlotte in the opening round. To win the NBA title, Cleveland is the overall favorite at +110 while Orlando is next biggest contender in the East at +350.

Western Conference

The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were able to pull out a 104-99 win in Game 1 of its conference semi-finals series against the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz on Sunday. Despite the absence of two starters, Utah was able to cover as a 6.5-point underdog against the top seed in the West. LA is a -700 favorite to win the series heading into Tuesday’s Game 2 at the Staples Center. The Lakers are a 6-point choice in that contest.

In the other semi-final matchup in the West, the Spurs will try to upend the third-seeded Phoenix Suns. Even with the home court edge, Phoenix is just a narrow -120 favorite to win the series. Since 2003, the Spurs have defeated the Suns four times in the postseason. Phoenix has been installed as a 4-point home favorite for Monday’s Game 1. The Lakers are the top NBA title choice in the West at +240. The two squads in the other series are also given a reasonable shot at capturing the crown. Phoenix is at +700 while San Antonio is a +900 choice to capture its fourth NBA championship since 2003.

While no team has yet advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs heading into this week, several are just a win away from moving ahead in the postseason. A couple of teams that were expected to mount a strong challenge in the Western Conference are in some trouble as the action continues over the next few days.

Eastern Conference

It appears that all of the top four seeds in the East are going to be able to reach the conference semi-finals. The top-seeded Cavaliers have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Chicago Bulls heading into Game 5 of the series on Tuesday night in Cleveland. At odds of -110, the Cavaliers are still the favorite to win the NBA title.

Second-seed Orlando can sweep its first round series with a victory at Charlotte on Monday. The Magic (+300) are only behind Cleveland in the NBA Championship futures pool.

The third-seeded Atlanta Hawks could face an extended first round series against Milwaukee. The Hawks must win on the road on Monday evening to avoid a 2-2 series against the Bucks. In the other series in the East, the Celtics can finish off the Heat with a victory in Game 5 on Tuesday in Boston.

Western Conference

While form has held in the East, the West has been a lot more unpredictable. All four top seeds will need at least six games to advance to the conference semi-finals. The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers (+340 to win NBA title) are getting a major challenge from the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. After getting blown away in Game 4 on the road, the Lakers will face a pivotal Game 5 at home on Tuesday night at the Staples Center. LA is a -270 favorite to win what is now just a best-of-three series against the Thunder.

The second-seeded Mavericks are down 3-1 in its series against the seventh-seeded Spurs heading into Tuesday’s Game 5 in Dallas. The Mavericks have dropped to a 45/1 price to win the NBA championship. Denver has the same price to win the title after facing a similar obstacle as the Mavericks in its postseason series against the Jazz.

The fourth-seeded Nuggets will try to stay alive on Wednesday night in Denver in Game 5. In the other series in the West, the Suns and Blazers are tied at two games apiece heading into Monday’s Game 5 in Phoenix. With Brandon Roy back in action for the Blazers, the series could be heading towards a Game 7.

In the first eight games of the NBA playoffs, home teams rolled out to a 7-1 record while covering in six of the contests. The Portland Trail Blazers were the only road squad to steal away the home court edge on the opening weekend of the postseason.

Eastern Conference

All four of the top seeds in the East were able to win at home in their Game 1 quarterfinal series matchups. While all four of the top seeds won by nine points or more, the point spread outcomes for each contest were tight.

Top-seed Cleveland narrowly covered over #8 Chicago in a 96-83 win as a 12-point favorite. Second-seed Orlando wasn’t able to cover in a 98-89 victory over #7 Charlotte as a 10-point choice. The third-seeded Atlanta Hawks handled the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks as an 8.5-point favorite in a 102-92 victory. Finally, fourth-seed Boston rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to defeat fifth-seed Miami by a final of 85-76 as a 4.5-point favorite.

In the over/under outcomes, the contests in Cleveland and Boston went under the total while the games in Orlando and Atlanta produced overs. The Bobcats/Magic game barely finished over the closing total of 186.5. The Heat/Celtics series could very well be tied after Game 2.

Western Conference

The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers survived a grind it out affair against the Oklahoma City Thunder in its opening playoff contest. The top-seeded Lakers barely covered as a 7.5-point choice in an 87-79 victory. This matchup was the only one in the West to go under the total.

The second-seeded Dallas Mavericks got by the seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs as a 4-point favorite in a 100-94 victory. Like the Bobcats/Magic game, the Spurs/Mavericks battle slipped over the closing total (193.5) by just half a point. Third-seed Phoenix was upended by sixth-seed Portland by a final of 105-100. The Blazers were an 8-point underdog in the contest. In another close over/under outcome, the Blazers/Suns game barely went over the closing number of 204.

In the four/five matchup in the West, the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets produced the highest scoring game of the weekend. The fourth-seeded Nuggets cruised to a 126-113 win over the fifth-seeded Jazz as a 6-point choice.