Week Ahead

FRIDAY 3/16
Hornets at Knicks
Could there actually be a meaningful game played at Madison Square Garden this late in the season? The Knicks, who have already surpassed last season's win total (23), sit just a half game out of the final playoff spot in the East. And the Hornets are sniffing a postseason berth, too. They're a game and a half out of eighth in the West. Check listings 7:30 p.m.

U.S. Open
Snowboarding's richest prize—the men's and women's champs get $100,000—is on the line in Vermont. The field includes Olympians Kelly Clark, Ross Powers and Shaun White. The Flying Tomato (left) will try to bounce back from a goldless performance at the X Games. (He won a silver and a bronze.) NBC will air a wrap-up on Sunday at 1 p.m.

SATURDAY 3/17
Ninja Warrior marathon
The title of this TV series—one of the most popular in Japan—is a bit misleading. There are neither nunchucks nor ninja stars, just a wicked obstacle course for contestants to navigate. In the show's history, about 2,000 have tried and only two have succeeded. Among those to give it a shot during today's 6 1/2-hour marathon: Olympic gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm. G4 9 a.m.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Marco Antonio Barrera
It's shaping up to be a good month for the Marquez clan. Two weeks ago Rafael Marquez captured the super bantamweight title with a knockout of Israel Vazquez; now it's big brother's turn. In his first fight as a super featherweight, Juan Manuel (46-3-1) will try to take the WBC belt from Barrera (63--4), who's had it since 2004. HBO 9 p.m.

SI PICK OF THE WEEK

SUNDAY 3/18
Swiss Streaker

Another tournament, another chance to see Roger Federer break a record. Two weeks ago he topped Jimmy Connors's mark for consecutive weeks at No. 1. (Federer's streak stands at 162 weeks.) Now he's got a shot at Guillermo Vilas's 1977 record of 46 straight match wins. Federer entered the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif., with 41 in a row; if he wins today's final, he'd hit 47. How did Federer prepare? By beating up on a retired guy: Pete Sampras, who had Federer over to his Los Angeles home to hit a few balls. Said Federer, "I was totally excited. He was one of my favorite players when I was growing up." ESPN2 3 p.m.

SUNDAY 3/18
Red Sox at Orioles
Does it exist? Last year a couple of geeks in Japan set out to invent an unhittable pitch on their computer. They came up with the "gyroball," which spins clockwise and breaks down and in on righties when thrown by a righty. And now hitters are swearing Daisuke Matsuzaka (left) is using it. Boston's new ace, who takes the hill this afternoon, has been coy about the arrows in his quiver, but last week the Marlins sounded like believers. "I saw the gyroball," marveled first baseman Jason Stokes. MLB.TV 1 p.m.