Track and Field News: Bernard Legat wins 3,000 indoor championship

As a former long distance runner (800m) Bernard Legat is always been my favorite. Regardless, if you are a fan of the Track and Field world... this man should be an inspiration to us all. No matter what age, gender, or creed; nothing defines determination than within yourself. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Veteran distance runner Bernard Legat showed Saturday that he's not ready to hand off the baton to the next generation just yet, using a dominant kick on the final lap to win the 3,000 meters at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Legat took off down the front stretch with about 200 meters to go, passing runner-up Galen Rupp to win in a time of 7 minutes, 57.17 seconds, almost three seconds in front.

"The pace was good at the front that's why I was able to run fast at the end," Legat said. "It was the way I wanted. I was hoping the race could happen like that tonight and it did."

Rupp, who last week snagged Legat's American record in the 5,000, said an aborted trip this week to New Zealand due to the earthquake there did not hinder his performance.

Instead, Legat had the benefit of a pace that fit his style.

"I waited and Galen took it and I was right behind him," Legat said. "The pace at the beginning was not hard enough so I was still good. I was following Galen."

No records were broken during the first day of the indoors, but high jumper Jesse Williams did win his third consecutive title, going 7-5 3/4 despite being ill.

"I just wanted to come in here and win," he said. "I'm on a little bit of a streak right now. ... It's just great to get the 'W.' Honestly, just being under the weather the last 10 days, it made it really difficult. Every jump, I just a got a little more tired so to get the W, it was big. It was probably the hardest I ever had to work in a competition to get one."

In the women's 3,000, Jenny Simpson and Sara Hall eclipsed the rest of the field from the outset. Hall made her move at the beginning of the final lap, but Simpson aggressively held her off to win in a time of 9:02.20.

"Sara is a tough women and I knew that," Simpson said. "And I kept thinking, when is she going to strike? I was just kind of waiting for it. Maybe the last few laps, I slowed just a little thinking, when is she coming? When is she coming?

"I had to say, 'This my space and run hard with it," Simpson added. "It was time to go. And that's about all I thought about from that point on."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Carmelo states he's playing today vs Heat despite elbow injury

MIAMI -- Carmelo Anthony took some easy shots about 12 feet from the basket Saturday afternoon, swishing just about every attempt.

All were left-handed -- a clear sign that the New York Knicks' newly acquired star was having plenty of distress in his right elbow again.

Regardless, Anthony said he would "without a doubt" be in the lineup Sunday night when the Knicks visit LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat in a game that has all the makings of being far from another ordinary part of the NBA's marathon regular season.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said Anthony told him the elbow pain, which flared up in New York's loss at Cleveland on Friday night, stemmed from a lingering bursa sac problem. Anthony went through New York's practice in Miami, which started about 13 hours after the loss to the Cavaliers.

"He should be fine," D'Antoni said. "He didn't take a whole lot of shots, let's put it that way, but he ran through everything. Most of the things we did was try to get our defense on the same page."

Anthony had his right elbow in a protective sleeve, like the one he's been wearing on his left arm. He said he doesn't plan on being 100 percent for a couple of weeks, but noted that since the Knicks have 26 games remaining before the postseason, there's little time for him to wait around.

They need to start clicking as soon as possible, he said -- and finding a way to handle the likes of Wade and James in Miami would be a good start.

"For us, it should be a statement game to come out here and want to beat this team ... just make a statement right now going down the stretch," Anthony said. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be an exciting game."

HEAT INDEX

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Knicks-Heat games always seem that way.

It was a major rivalry a decade or so ago, after Miami played New York four straight times in the playoffs from 1997 to 2000. Each of those series went to a deciding game, and the Knicks won three of them -- all on the Heat home floor.

Sunday night may easily rekindle some of that Heat-Knicks bad blood.

"We know the Heat-Knicks rivalry goes way beyond our years," James said. "It basically started with the departure of the man upstairs, coming down here and leaving New York."

The man upstairs, as James put it, is Heat president Pat Riley -- who left the Knicks for Miami a decade-and-a-half ago and instantly became someone New York loved to hate.

He'll be low-profile on Sunday, but the atmosphere should still be electric.

"It's going to be great. It's going to be great," Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "There's a lot of New Yorkers here in Miami, proud of the Knicks. It's going to be fun to play."

New Yorkers, transplants in South Florida or otherwise, always show up for games at Miami. Tickets for Sunday were going for as much as $2,500 in the lower levels on the online fan-to-fan marketplace StubHub.com, and that doesn't even include the $9,000 asking price for some courtside spots.

"Since I've been here, the New York Knicks have always gotten cheers in the Miami Heat arena," Wade said. "I'm sure both sides will get some cheers. Everybody will be coming out to see the game."

The Knicks practiced for nearly two hours on Saturday, which constitutes a long workout by NBA standards this late in the season, especially the night after a road game followed by another couple hours of travel.

Trading for Anthony and Chauncey Billups created a significant challenge for the Knicks. They got much better, but the process of becoming a cohesive unit in time for the playoffs needs to be fast-tracked.

"This is not going to happen in the next week or the next two weeks," Anthony said. "Let's just face it. That's reality. It took everybody who made moves like this a period of time to come together and get right on the same page.

"We know that, but still, we can't just say, 'That's going to happen.' We've got to go for it right now."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Drama In Detriot

If the Detroit Pistons are beyond frustrated with Richard Hamilton, it's because he had a chance to be playing elsewhere and didn't take it.

Hamilton has been unhappy with the Pistons in general and coach John Kuester in particular and was supposedly behind a team boycott of Friday's shootaround in Philadelphia before a 110-94 loss to the 76ers

Sources say, though, the idea of a team boycott is "overblown" and that only Hamilton missed the shootaround without explanation.

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Hamilton verbally undressed Kuester in front of the team at a practice in January. Hamilton reportedly called his coach a failure and a career assistant. He reportedly told Kuester had blown his opportunity as a head coach.

It was the second time Hamilton instigatated a confrontation with Kuester, according to the report.

Hamilton, who has played in one game since Jan. 10, played two more games before being permanently benched by Kuester.

Hamilton and Chris Wilcox were fined for missing the shootaround, while Austin Daye and Rodney Stuckey drew fines for being late. All fines were in accordance with team policy.

Kuester has brushed off talk of a possible mutiny after what happened Friday, and he tried to remain upbeat Saturday.

"It was an internal thing. We're moving on. We're ready to go," Kuester said. "You can tell how calm I am outside. My insides are probably turning a little bit. ... You just want to compete."

The vexing part for the Pistons is that Hamilton could be with a bona fide playoff team right now.

The Pistons had a deal arranged with the Cleveland Cavaliers to acquire Hamilton, league sources say.

The Pistons would have added a first-round pick to compensate the Cavaliers for taking Hamilton off their hands. Cleveland could have absorbed Hamilton's contract with a $12 million trade exception.

The Cavaliers, league sources say, were willing to buy out Hamilton immediately or wait until the summer and buy out the last year of his contract. Sources say both the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls were aware of the deal and were looking to add Hamilton to their roster once he was available.

The Bulls, in particular, thought he could start for them, according to a source.

Hamilton, however, declined to consider a buyout, now or later, and the deal died, sources say.

Neither Pistons president Joe Dumars nor Leon Rose, Hamilton's agent, were available for comment.

Sources say the player boycott was actually a "perfect storm" that resulted in half of the team not showing up or showing up late. Tayshaun Prince and Tracy McGrady were both ill.Ben Wallace has a brother who was gravely ill and died Saturday. Wilcox overslept and Daye and Stuckey missed the team bus because the departure time was moved up from 11 to 10:30 a.m. ET. They have insisted to team officials they did not receive notification of the change.

The only player who actually missed shootaround without explanation, one source said, was Hamilton.

"The team boycott idea is being overblown," the source said. "It was more miscommunication than defiance."

Sources told the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News on Friday that the shootaround boycott was directed at Kuester, who has clashed with players in the past.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com Friday that Pistons veterans tried to organize a teamwide boycott of Detroit's shootaround before its last game prior to the All-Star break.

But the walkout was called off, sources said, when some Pistons players were told that Kuester was about to be dismissed during All-Star Weekend. Detroit went out that night and scored a 115-109 overtime victory at home over a hot Indiana team.

Prior to Friday's game in Philadelphia, sources said, similar attempts were made by the same veterans to organize a teamwide no-show at the morning shootaround again, presumably in response to the fact that no trades were made before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline and the fact that Kuester was not let go.

Kuester said he wasn't concerned about his job status, and he said coaches around the league have been supportive.

"One of the things you have to do is feel comfortable about the way you're handling things, and I feel comfortable," Kuester said.

All of the players who missed or were late to shootaround were held out of Detroit's Friday night loss. That left the Pistons with only six available players: Will Bynum, Ben Gordon,Jason Maxiell, Greg Monroe, DaJuan Summers and Charlie Villanueva.

"We had six guys that played their hearts out," Kuester said. "They gave this everything they had. I was so disappointed that I got kicked out, because I was fighting for my players."

The Pistons were short-handed again in Saturday's 120-116 win over Utah.

Wallace was unavailable Saturday night following the death of his brother, and Prince and McGrady didn't play either. Kuester said McGrady was sick and Prince had a back problem. Hamilton remained out with a sore groin.

"We've had a lot of interesting things happen to our team," Kuester said after the win. "The guys that were out there tonight, God bless them. They really worked hard tonight. This shows that no one is entitled to anything. You earn respect every day, not from the past."

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alec Burks' 33 points lead Colorado to upset of No. 5 Texas

BOULDER, Colo. -- Finishing is starting to become a problem for No. 5 Texas.

For the second time in three games, the Longhorns frittered away a big first-half lead and lost a Big 12 road game, this time 91-89 at Colorado on Saturday.

The Buffaloes stormed back from a 22-point first-half deficit and overcame a 48-33 halftime hole behind Alec Burks' 33 points and Levi Knutson's 21.

Fast Facts

• Alec Burks scored 33 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to rally Colorado from a 22-point first-half deficit.

• Texas lost its second straight road game.

• Colorado passed last year's Big 12's win total of six and its 18 wins are the most since winning 20 in 2005-06.

• Colorado beat the Longhorns for the first time in seven meetings.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

"The second half we didn't execute and I think they played harder than us and they wanted it more, it seemed like," Longhorns forwardJordan Hamilton said. "We didn't run plays, we didn't screen. We went away from what we were doing in the first half."

For the Longhorns, it was eerily reminiscent of a 70-67 loss at Nebraska a week earlier that prevented Texas (24-5, 12-2 Big 12) from ascending to the top of the college basketball rankings.

This latest loss dropped Texas into a tie for first place in the Big 12 with Kansas (No. 2 ESPN/USA Today, No. 3 AP), which beat Oklahoma 82-70.

"It's not like we lost a ton-load of games. We've only lost two games," Hamilton said. "... But I think it's good for us. We've just got to get back to the drawing board. We're not as good as we thought."

In beating their third Top 25 opponent this season, the Buffaloes (18-11, 7-7) regrouped at halftime and put on a second-half show in pushing the pace and giving first-year coach Tad Boyle his biggest win yet.

"I didn't yell and scream. I probably should have," Boyle said of his halftime message. "I didn't know what to expect coming out at halftime. But our guys, they delivered."

"A sense of urgency kicked in," Buffaloes senior Cory Higgins said.

And everything started going Colorado's way.

"It seemed like they had more freedom in the second half. Transition 3s, just driving, like playing open gym, really," lamented Longhorns forward Gary Johnson. "That seemed like the kind of team they turned into in the second half."

The Longhorns? They suddenly looked like the kids who entertained the crowd during a timeout by donning oversized uniforms and shoes and trying to score a basket.

"I really think it's very simple: the team that played for 40 minutes won the game," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "I didn't feel like we had a real sense of urgency from the get-go.

"We didn't play with purpose, that was the problem. We got a lead early in the game and I've seen them evaporate quickly, but you can certainly help the cause by not making them defend and simply not executing. We didn't. We simply didn't execute."

While the Buffs were storming back behind Burks, who scored 24 after halftime, including 11 during a 14-0 spurt, the Longhorns were going 1 for 17 from the field during a brutal 25-possession stretch.

When it was over, the Buffs had built an 81-70 lead on Austin Dufault's tip-in with less than 3 minutes left.

But Texas, led by 21 points each from Hamilton and J'Covan Brown, didn't go down quietly.

Brown hit three free throws with 38 seconds left to make it 85-80. After Knutson's two free throws, Hamilton's 3-pointer with 30 seconds left pulled Texas to 87-83.

Higgins stepped on the baseline on the inbounds, turning the ball over with 29 seconds left, but Hamilton was long on a 3-pointer and Burks corralled his 10th rebound.

He missed his eighth free throw, however, before making one for an 88-83 cushion.

Hamilton's long 3-pointer made it a two-point game with 18 seconds left. Burks was fouled again with 14 seconds remaining and this time he made both for a 90-86 lead.

Hamilton misfired a 3-pointer and Higgins hit one of two foul shots, and Cory Joseph hit an uncontested 3 at the buzzer as the student section at the record fourth sellout at the Coors Events Center this season stormed the court.

The Buffs tied their school record with their 14th win at home and ended a six-game skid against Texas, which led 43-21.

Colorado outrebounded Texas 43-39 and outshot the 'Horns 53 percent to 42 percent.

"Mentality," Boyle said. "We don't have better athletes. We don't have more size. We just battled them. And that's the competing I was talking about at halftime. ... Shows you what we're capable of.

"It's a marquee win, goes to the top of our resume."

And to the bottom of the Longhorns', right alongside that loss at Nebraska.

"I think it's human nature when a team gets up and thinks it's going to be easy," Barnes said. "If I were coaching against us, I would tell them that if they could get a lead there is always a chance to come back because we haven't proven yet that we can sustain it."

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press