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FEATURES

PRO BASKETBALL

36 LEBRON JAMES

After a rough first year in Miami, the Heat star locked himself in his house, then went to work on his game. The result: one of the best seasons ever

BY LEE JENKINS

BASEBALL

46 THE NATIONALS

Through years of losing, Washington stuck with a draft-and-develop blueprint. Happy days are here again

BY BEN REITER

NHL PLAYOFFS

50 THE KINGS

The scars worn by L.A.'s rugged captain Dustin Brown in the first round tell the tale of a postseason marked—and marred—by mayhem

BY MICHAEL FARBER

OLYMPICS

54 REBECCA SONI

There's not another swimmer in the world like this American breaststroker, who could win three golds in London

BY KELLI ANDERSON

PRO FOOTBALL

58 BUILDING THE GIANTS

Decision-makers for the recent two-time Super Bowl champs have a knack for finding treasures in the late rounds and beyond

BY PETER KING

DEPARTMENTS

4 SI Digital

6 Leading Off

14 The Mail

17 Scorecard

Concussion conundrum

22 Faces in the Crowd

25 Just My Type

Andrew Bynum likes soccer

BY DAN PATRICK

28 Inside...

MLB

Soccer

NBA

Horse Racing

Olympic Wrestling

64 Point After

Always ready for football

BY PHIL TAYLOR

ON THE COVER: PHOTOGRAPH BY WALTER IOOSS JR.; MICHAEL J. LEBRECHT II/1DEUCE3 PHOTOGRAPHY (TROPHY)

Please Recycle This Magazine Remove Inserts or Samples Before Recycling

PHOTO

BILL FRAKES (JAMES)

HEAD GAMES After his Finals flameout, LeBron James has fans aflutter in South Beach.

PHOTO

JOHN BIEVER (GIANTS)