SUPERSONICS: A judge in Seattle says she will rule Monday on motions in the city’s lawsuit that seeks to prevent the NBA’s SuperSonics from relocating to Oklahoma City.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman held a hearing Friday to rule on pretrial motions regarding evidence, arguments and witnesses. Those motions include whether certain witnesses and evidence will be presented at trial.
The city is suing to force the team to play out the two seasons remaining on its KeyArena lease.
Sonics owner Clay Bennett would like to pay off the lease and leave town. The NBA has already approved a move to Oklahoma City.
A trial in the lawsuit is scheduled June 16.
BULLS: Doug Collins and the Chicago Bulls won’t be reuniting. Concerned that a second tenure as the Bulls’ coach would spoil their friendship, Collins and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf agreed during a Friday phone conversation that the Bulls should look elsewhere. Collins coached Chicago from 1986-89. He has a 332-287 overall record and was 137-109 with the Bulls.
TRAIL BLAZERS: Guard Rudy Fernandez said Friday that he plans to leave his Spanish ACB League team to join Portland. Fernandez made the announcement at a press conference in Spain. The Trail Blazers can not comment, because of league rules, until he signs with the team on July 1. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds for DKV Joventut Badalona this past season. The 24th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, he was acquired by Portland for cash considerations.
CELTICS: Paul Pierce says there’s an excellent chance he’ll play in Game 2 of the NBA finals Sunday despite an injured knee. He said Friday his knee was stiff and swollen and he won’t practice over the next two days to get treatment. The 10-year veteran described his injury as a sharp pain. He plans to put off an MRI until after the season.
NBA FINALS: The Lakers-Celtics matchup gave the NBA finals’ television ratings a big boost. Game 1 on Thursday averaged an 8.7 rating on ABC, the network said Friday. That’s up 38 percent from the 6.3 during last year’s Cavaliers-Spurs series. It’s the highest Game 1 rating since Lakers-Pistons in 2004 drew a 9.8. The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions.
Associated Press
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