Lineup

FEATURES

PRO BASKETBALL

28 New Sheriff in Big D
In hot pursuit of an NBA championship, the Mavericks dealt for a new leader in point guard Jason Kidd. But is he too old to tame the wild West?
By Jack McCallum

PRO FOOTBALL

36 It's Showtime
Draft season got rolling as players strutted their stuff at the NFL combine. Dapper Matt Ryan didn't throw a pass, but the BC quarterback still impressed with his all-business demeanor
By Peter King

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

40 Over the Top
Extreme vulgarity and taunting by fans raise the query: How much is too much?
By Grant Wahl

46 Last Call
Indiana, a Final Four contender, cut ties with embattled coach Kelvin Sampson
By Grant Wahl

BASEBALL

48 Next (Next) Big Thing
There's a new Ray of hope in Tampa: sweet swinging Evan Longoria
By Ben Reiter

OLYMPIC TOWNS

THE ROAD TO BEIJING

From a Georgia Army post to a Texas ranch, U.S. athletes prepare
BY BRIAN CAZENEUVE
Page 52

Departments

6 Leading Off

12 Letters

14 Players
• Fidel Castro's sporting legacy
• Where's the beef, Prince Fielder?
• First Person: Hawks' Al Horford
• Will Ferrell dishes in Semi-Pro

24 Faces in the Crowd

27 Just My Type by Dan Patrick
• Take the DP Wonderlic

70 Point After
How sweet to be able to say these words: I beat Michael Jordan one-on-one by Chris Ballard

Inside ...

66 Boxing
• The Klitschkos' title tango

67 The NHL
• Is this Jaromir Jagr's last run?

68 College Basketball
• A walk-on has Drake soaring

Cover
PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROSATO

INSET PHOTO: Todd Rosenberg

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FEATURED COLUMNS

PETER KING

> A Real Eye-Opener
Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco threw like Randy Johnson at the NFL combine on Sunday, better than any passer in the workouts.

> Read more of this column at SI.com/king.

JON HEYMAN

> Worthy Winner
Matt Holliday finished second in the NL MVP race last year, but even a Rockies person told me that Jimmy Rollins deserved the award.

> Read more of this column at SI.com/heyman.

TRAFFIC REPORT

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3. Mark Beech's weekly Racing Fan column

> Check 'em all out at SI.com/traffic.

SPECIAL THIS WEEK

PAUL FORRESTER

> The NBA's Wild West
Will Shaquille O'Neal light it up for the Suns? Can Jason Kidd get the Mavs moving? What about the red-hot Rockets? Paul Forrester handicaps the Western Conference playoff race.

> Read Forrester's analyis at SI.com/nbawest.

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PHOTO

TODD ROSENBERG (RYAN)

36 JUMPING THE GUN Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan loosened up on Sunday before running the 40 for scouts at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

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ROBERT SEALE (OLYMPIC TOWNS)

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (LOVE)

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (O'NEAL)

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MEL LEVINE (KING)

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MEL LEVINE (HEYMAN)

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MICHAEL CONROY/AP (FLACCO)

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MICHAEL CONROY/AP (LONG)

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KEITH SRAKOCIC/AP (ROLLINS)

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ROBERT BECK (WOODS)

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