Inside The Week in Sports

January 12, 2004

The NBA

How Isiah Thomas remade the Knicks
Slow growth for Kwame Brown
Arvydas Sabonis thrives

College Basketball

Saint Joseph's is perfectly happy
Behind Duke's upset of UConn
A short chat with Drew Lavender

Table of Contents

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January 12, 2004

Catching Up With...

Kelly Downs and Billy Kehl OCTOBER 30, 1989

By Melissa Segura

Fifty Ways To Leave Your Owner

By Steve Rushin

Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary

Drawn By Huskies UConn's two highly ranked basketball teams are by far the state's No. 1 sports attraction

By Michael Bamberger

Betwixt and Between For too long the Nutmeg State was lost in a sports no-man's-land

The Poll Nutmeggers weigh in on sports*

Compiled by Bill Syken

Who & Where

Compiled by Bill Syken

Alltime Best For Connecticut's top 50 homegrown sports figures, go to si.com/50

Compiled by Bill Syken

Memorable Quote

Compiled by Bill Syken

Greatest Moment

Compiled by Bill Syken

Numbers

Compiled by Bill Syken

College Football

Splitsville A winner-takes-half formula leaves both USC and LSU with a share of the national crown

By Austin Murphy; Tim Layden

If LSU Met USC... What would happen if the Tigers faced the Trojans to determine who's really No. 1?

The 2004 Top 10 It's never too early for a look ahead. Here's a very early forecast for next season

SI's All-Bowl Team Here are 24 stars--and the outstanding coach--from the 29 postseason games

Let The Hype Begin Jason White returns, but he won't be favored. Meet the 2004 Heisman front-runners

Pro Basketball

Can This Man Save The Blazers? That may be too much to ask of 22-year-old Zach Randolph, a megatalent known for the sort of behavior that's alienated so many Portland fans

NFL Playoffs

Do You Believe...? Behind the inspired play of Brett Favre, Green Bay continued its magical run

Off the Schneid Peyton Manning and Indianapolis blew away Denver for a long-awaited postseason win

By Michael Silver

No-name No More Unheralded Keith Bulluck and the Tennessee defense stopped Baltimore in its tracks

By Josh Elliott

At the Top of His Game With less lip and more production, wideout Steve Smith helped Carolina dump Dallas

By Jeffri Chadiha

Dr. Z's Forecast In a weekend of tight matchups, the Colts will be the only underdog to advance

By Paul Zimmerman

Sports Illustrated Exclusive

Pete Rose: "I Bet On Baseball"

By Tom Verducci

Inside

Inside The Week in Sports

Inside The NBA

A New York Minuteman Isiah Thomas's rapid makeover of the Knicks may end with him on the bench

Production Low, Effort Lacking Kwame Brown's Progress

By Chris Ballard

Ian Thomsen's Fast Break

Inside College Basketball

Ball Hawks With peerless Jameer Nelson calling the shots, Saint Joseph's has passed and pressed to its best start ever

How Duke Exposed UConn Anatomy of a Comeback

Ignored Martin Evens The Score Catamount Out of the Bag

Instant Messaging With ... Oklahoma's diminutive freshman point guard Drew Lavender, whose 11.5 points and 4.3 assists a game have helped the Sooners to a 10-0 start

By Seth Davis; Drew Lavender

Free Throws

Inside Hockey

Worldbeater Al Montoya made the big stops as the U.S. juniors won a gold medal

By Stephen Cannella

In The Crease

By Pierre McGuire

It's IncrediBowl!

Departments

Leading Off

Letters

I Will Play Again Six months after his devastating motorcycle accident, Bulls guard Jay Williams tells where he's been, and where he intends to go

By Jay Williams Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Works of Art Ravens' Modell says, "Nevermore"

By Peter King Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Go Figure

Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

For The Record

Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

The Good Life

By Don Yaeger Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

The Show

By Bill Scheft Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Q+A Robert Plant

By John Clarke Jr.; Robert Plant Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Sports Beat

Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

The Week Ahead WHAT TO WATCH AND WATCH FOR

By Julia Morrill Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Under Review

By Richard Deitsch Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Faces in the Crowd Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

For Pete's Sake

By David Sabino Edited by Kostya Kennedy and Mark Bechtel

Original Layout

Hockey

Montoya backstops U.S. to junior title
The Wild's Burns is a cutup
Bruins' Rolston on the block

COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY MANNY MILLAN NETS' PROFIT Cavaliers rookie sensation LeBron James was held to 14 points in his first visit to Continental Airlines Arena, where the Nets prevailed 97-82 before their first sellout crowd of the season.