Cover Description

[The following text appears on the cover.]

DOUBLE ISSUE

THE YEAR IN SPORTS

The Saving Grace of Basketball
by Gary Smith

The Greatest Upset Never Seen
by Alexander Wolff

One-on-One Hoops with Barack Obama
by S.L. Price

Woman Athletes of The Year

Perfect Season's GREETINGS
Bill Belichick and the Patriots Are 15--0
HAPPY (?) HOLIDAYS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SI IMAGING; BELICHICK BY DAVID GOLDMAN/BOSTON HERALD/POLARIS; COSTUME BY PETER GREGOIRE

FIFTY-TWO PHOTOS

ROBERT BECK (7); AL TIELEMANS (5); DAMIAN STROHMEYER (4); SIMON BRUTY, BILL FRAKES, WALTER IOOSS JR., GREG NELSON (3); JOHN BIEVER, JOHN W. MCDONOUGH, BOB ROSATO, SI IMAGING (2); DAVID BERGMAN, TONY DING/ICON SMI, JOHN IACONO, TODD KOROL, NEIL LEIFER, BRAD MANGIN, JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES, PETER READ MILLER, MICHAEL O'NEILL, JOHN RUSSELL/AP, JEFFERY A. SALTER, CHUCK SOLOMON, ROB TRINGALI/SPORTSCHROME, CLIFF WATTS, THOMAS E. WITTE, MIKE ZARRILLI/WIREIMAGE.COM