LINEUP

62

The Cardinal Way

The dominant hybrid pitching staff that has pushed St. Louis to the top of the National League is the product of a tried-and-true approach—but one that allows for constant tinkering

BY BEN REITER

FEATURES

NBA PLAYOFFS

36 Paul George

The emergence of the third-year forward has solidified the Pacers' D and lifted them back to the conference finals

BY LEE JENKINS

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

44 California Hockey

Led by the success of the Ducks, Kings and Sharks, the sport is thriving on all levels in the Golden State

BY AUSTIN MURPHY

SI HONORS

51 College Athletes Of the Year

An exhaustive search for the best and brightest yielded SI's first campus champs

• Loren Shealy of North Carolina

BY KELLI ANDERSON

• Kyle Dake of Cornell

BY LUKE WINN

SPECIAL REPORT

58 A Ref's Death

Soccer was Ricardo Portillo's life, until one punch from a 17-year-old ended it all

BY MELISSA SEGURA

DEPARTMENTS

4 SI Digital

6 Leading Off

12 The Mail

14 Scorecard

The impact of the NFL's new CBA on rookies and free agents

20 Faces in the Crowd

22 Just My Type

Patrick Ewing talks Kareem, LeBron and the truth about Larry

BY DAN PATRICK

70 Point After

The story of the NHL—and of this year's playoffs—is the Original Six

BY STEVE RUSHIN

ON THE COVER: Photograph by Todd Rosenberg for Sports Illustrated

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PHOTO

NEIL LEIFER/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

COVER INSPIRATION This week's front was inspired by our 1968 shot of Roger Maris, Tim McCarver, Bob Gibson, Mike Shannon and Lou Brock.