slow and rusty and was a non-factor in the opening half with no points and on

Olympic figure skating champion Brian Boitano came out on Thursday, two days after he was named to the U.S. delegation for Sochi along with openly gay athletes Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow. The 1988 gold medallist had always kept his personal life private, saying in a statement that "being gay is just one part of who I am." But President Barack Obamas decision to include openly gay athletes in the delegation for the opening and closing ceremonies -- and not send high-ranking officials -- was widely seen as a message to Russia about its treatment of gays and lesbians. "First and foremost I am an American athlete and I am proud to live in a country that encourages diversity, openness and tolerance," Boitano said in his statement. "As an athlete, I hope we can remain focused on the Olympic spirit which celebrates achievement in sport by peoples of all nations." Russia has come under fierce criticism for passing national laws banning "gay propaganda," and some suggested the United States should boycott the Sochi Olympics in protest. Obama rejected that idea earlier this year, saying a stronger statement could be made by "gay and lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze." But his choices for the U.S. delegation left little doubt about Obamas disapproval of the new Russian law. For the first time since 2000, the U.S. will not send a president, former president, first lady or vice-president to the Olympics. This years group is led by former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and others in the delegation include U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, deputy Secretary of State William Burns and presidential adviser Rob Nabors. Of the five athletes in the delegation, three -- Boitano, King and Cahow -- are openly gay. Boitano and King will attend the opening ceremony. Cahow, a two-time medallist in womens hockey, will attend the closing ceremony with Olympic speed skating champions Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden. "I have been fortunate to represent the United States of America in three different Olympics, and now I am honoured to be part of the presidential delegation to the Olympics in Sochi," Boitano, who is in Europe, said in his statement. "It has been my experience from competing around the world and in Russia that Olympic athletes can come together in friendship, peace and mutual respect regardless of their individual countrys practices." Earlier this month, IOC President Thomas Bach said Russia would set up public protest zones in Sochi for "people who want to express their opinion or want to demonstrate for or against something." Meanwhile, the IOC approved a letter going out to athletes reminding them to refrain from protests or political gestures during the Sochi Games -- reiterating Rule 50 of the Olympic charter, which forbids demonstrations on Olympic grounds. Bach previously said hed received assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin that gays will not be discriminated against in Sochi. But the Russian law has raised questions about what could happen to athletes who wear pins or badges or carry flags supporting gay rights. Willis Reed Jersey . -- Kyle Busch edged teammate Joey Logano at the Bristol Motor Speedway finish line Friday night to become the all-time winningest driver in Nationwide Series. 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I havent got extension on a ball in a pretty long time.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Atlanta Hawks only needed one spectacular quarter to earn their first back-to-back wins of the season. Well, that and Al Horford. Horford had 13 of his 24 points in the third quarter as the Hawks outscored Charlotte 34-16 en route to a 103-94 win Monday night in Bobcats coach Steve Cliffords first game back after having two stents placed in his heart. "Energy, by far," Horford said of the difference in the third quarter. "Especially on the defensive end. And we stopped fouling so much. At the beginning of the game we were really getting some cheap fouls. So, we did a better job defending them." The Hawks trailed by eight at halftime but shot 72 per cent from the floor in the third quarter; the Bobcats managed just 33 per cent. Jeff Teague, who finished with 14 points and 12 assists, was pivotal during that stretch and Clifford said the Bobcats simply couldnt find anyone to guard him. "We came in the third quarter with absolutely no energy, and that was obviously the difference in the game," Clifford said. Cartier Martin scored 16 points off the bench, including a pair of 3-pointers to help push the lead to 14. Horford finished 9 of 15 from the field; Martin was 5 of 7. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer called it a good road win. "I think another step forward for our defence," Budenholzer said. "I think a great job by our bench to come in and give us a boost. We had some foul trouble early and I think some guys just got picked up tonight by their teammates and by their bench." Atlanta, which came in ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring, has reached at least 100 points in all seven games. Josh McRoberts led the Bobcats (3-4) with 19 points and seven assists. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 16 points, but none in the second half. Al Jefferson had 10 points and seven rebounds in his first game since Oct. 30. But its clear the Bobcats still havent adjusted to playing with their $41 million free-agent pickup. Jefferson looked slow and rusty and was a non-factor in the opening half with no points and one rebound in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the offence was out of sync.dddddddddddd. McRoberts said it will take time for everyone to get used to playing with Jefferson. "Its just a different style of play playing through Al," McRoberts said. "You try to work through growing pains. ... There are probably guys in here who have never played with a low-post scorer in their entire careers, whether college or NBA. So its definitely a change having one of the best low-post players in the world down there in the block. We have to adjust and play through him." Jefferson feels bad knowing that it hasnt been easy for his teammates to get used to his style of play with him being in and out of the lineup. He missed most of the preseason, too, with a sprained ankle. "Weve all got to get on the same page," Jefferson said. Said Clifford: "Hes not in a great shape yet, and he played more minutes than I thought he would simply because we are better when hes on the floor." The Bobcats certainly had their chance to erase a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter after the Hawks went cold from the field. But Charlotte couldnt get anything to fall, with McRoberts missing a pair of layups and leading scorers Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker unable to get going. As for Clifford, he said he plans to obey doctors orders and not overdue it in his return to coaching. Clifford missed Charlottes game last Friday night against the New York Knicks after having two stents placed in his heart. "Im doing exactly what they tell me to do," Clifford said before the game. "Im going to do a little bit less during the work day, come in just when the team is here. Im going to work out of the house more, sleep in for a couple of weeks and I think Ill be good. Ill be getting checked regularly. I think itll be fine." NOTES: Kyle Korver has made at least one 3-pointer in 80 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in NBA history behind Dana Barros. ... The Hawks have at least 24 assists in all seven games this season. They are first in the NBA in assists per game. ... The Bobcats have lost two in a row at home after winning five straight. 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