LEADING OFF

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Photograph by David Bergman

LIGHTS, CAMERA ... JACKSON! In a week of unhappy returns for New York fans (Cliff Lee to the Phillies; Paul Pierce's dagger to the Knicks, page 8), DeSean Jackson delivered the cruelest blow, taking a Giants' punt 65 yards to the house on the game's final play to give the Eagles a 38--31 victory and cap a 28-point comeback in the game's final eight minutes.

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Photograph by Michael Sohn/AP

JUST SWIM, BABY Brazil's César Cielo Filho gave a gritty performance in the semis of the 50-meter freestyle at the FINA Short Course World Swimming Championships in Dubai last Thursday. Cielo Filho, the only Brazilian swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal, captured the heat, then the final, as well as the 100-meter freestyle final.

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Photograph by John Angelillo/UPI

PAUL BEARER An electric Madison Square Garden turned funereal on Dec. 15 after Paul Pierce (34) buried a jumper with .4 of a second left to give the Celtics a 118--116 lead over the Knicks. The building would shake again only moments later when Amar'e Stoudemire stuck a three. However, the shot came after the buzzer had sounded.