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NBA MIDSEASON REPORT

32 Wild West Shootout
The Hornets have created the buzz so far, but there are nine teams in the Western Conference that are good enough to make it to the Finals
By Jack McCallum

BASEBALL

40 Homeland Security
There's a star under a steroids-related investigation, and it's not Roger Clemens. It's Miguel Tejada, who remains a hero in his native Dominican Republic
By Melissa Segura

BASKETBALL

48 Fast and Furious
Unbeaten Memphis has climbed to No. 1 using the Dribble-Drive Motion offense
By Grant Wahl

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

58 All Eyes on Terrelle
Terrelle Pryor, the most coveted recruit in the land, decided not to make a decision
By Jack McCallum

HOCKEY

64 A Northern Light
In the Canadian subarctic, former NHL player Joé Juneau is changing the world
By Michael Farber

2008 NASCAR PREVIEW

FIRED UP

Driving for a potent team and with a fresh outlook, Dale Earnhardt Jr. plans to give his fans a lot more to cheer about
BY LARS ANDERSON
Page 72

Scouting Reports
How the top teams stack up
By Lars Anderson and Mark Beech

Departments

8 Leading Off

14 Letters

16 Players
• Jeff Novitzky and the Rocket
• A U.S. skier makes history
• Giving away the Pats' 19--0 gear
• First Person: Osi Umenyiora
• An ex-NFLer turns thespian

26 Faces in the Crowd

29 Just My Type by Dan Patrick
• Tony Stewart goes long

96 Point After
As China breaks its vow to improve its human rights record before the Beijing Games, the IOC says ... nothing by S.L Price

Inside ...

94 College Basketball
• An X-emplary defense

95 The NHL
• Soldiering on without Sid

Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II/1DEUCE3 PHOTOGRAPHY

INSET PHOTO: Greg Nelson

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SPRING TRAINING
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SPRING FORWARD WITH SI.COM

Pitchers and catchers report this week, and SI.com has everything you need to gear up for the baseball season. Coverage this month includes ...

• Team-by-team spring previews
Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus breaks down each club and looks at which players have come and gone, the positional battles to watch and the moves that each team needs to make.

• The top 100 prospects
BP's minor league maven, Kevin Goldstein, ranks the game's best young players.

• Inside analysis
Tom Verducci, Jon Heyman and John Donovan report from the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues.
Plus much more
News, stats, schedules and continued coverage of the Roger Clemens steroid story.

COMPLETE PRESEASON BASEBALL COVERAGE AT SI.COM/SPRINGTRAINING

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PHOTO

JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (NBA)

¬†32 ONELAKER LEFT BEHIND The trickery of Spurs guard Manu Ginóbili dazzled Luke Waltonduring yet another high-caliber matchup in the mighty WesternConference.¬†

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MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II/1DEUCE3 PHOTOGRAPHY (EARNHARDT)

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ROBERT BECK (SPRING TRAINING)

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DONALD MIRALLE/GETTY IMAGES (TUCK)

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NOAH GRAHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (BOOZER)

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RAPHAEL MAZZUCCO (SWIMSUIT)