The Seattle SuperSonics used their irrepressible 1-2 punch to hand the Los Angeles Clippers their first home loss of the season.

Rashard Lewis had 35 points and 13 rebounds and Ray Allen scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Sonics, who never led by more than 12 points and never trailed in a 95-85 victory on Wednesday night.

"Rashard Lewis had a great game and Ray Allen followed it up," Clippers guard Cuttino Mobley said. "But we're giving other teams confidence. We didn't have that many turnovers, yet we didn't have that many rebounds. They outrebounded us, and we're the bigger team."

Reserve forward Tim Thomas scored 15 points for the Clippers, who won their first six games at Staples Center to set a franchise record for the fastest start at home. They were the road team in Tuesday's 105-101 loss to the Lakers.

"We caught them on the back end of a back-to-back, so we had to take advantage of them early," Allen said. "Even though they're at home, we knew they played last night and we didn't, so we had fresher legs."

Elton Brand had 16 rebounds and seven points, and Chris Kaman had 14 rebounds and 12 points for the Clippers, who reduced Seattle's lead to 75-72 on Brand's 15-footer with 8:13 left. But Allen responded with a 3-pointer on Seattle's next possession, triggering a 16-7 run that put the Sonics ahead 91-79 with 2:37 left. Lewis helped spark the spurt with eight points.

"I thought they were a little bit slow on the double-team in the post," Lewis said. "That gave me time to make my move and go into my shot. I've been in the league long enough to know what I have to do in order to help us win ballgames.

"My shot really felt good for me tonight. At the same time, I was watching their defense and they were coming when I made a move or on the dribble, so I was able to beat the defense before they got to me."

Thomas, who had a 13-point third quarter, opened the second half with a pair of 3s a minute apart to pull Los Angeles into a 49-all tie. But the Sonics scored the next nine points and restored their double-digit lead on Lewis' three-point play with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

"We weren't putting them in situations where they had to make plays under duress," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We were getting outworked, and it was disappointing to see. Big shots by Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis kept us at bay."

Seattle used 16 points from Lewis and 10 from Allen to build a 49-43 halftime lead. The Clippers, who fell behind Philadelphia by 16 points in the first quarter last Saturday at Staples Center before beating them in overtime, again found themselves playing catch-up at home after Seattle opened the game with a 22-10 run that included nine points by Lewis.

"It seemed like he scored so easily," Seattle coach Bob Hill said. "They were double-teaming him and fronting him. So he just took his time, read the double teams when they did come, and took the right shots. He played a great game."

Neither team shot over 40 percent during the half, so there were plenty of opportunities for rebounds. Brand had 10 and Kaman nine, while Nick Collison grabbed nine of his 13 boards for Seattle in his first 13 minutes on the floor. The only thing that kept Los Angeles close at intermission was its ability to get to the free throw line. The Clippers were 13-for-19, compared to Seattle's 7-for-8.

One non-call particularly irked Hill, and it had nothing to do with fouls. Allen missed a 22-footer with 4:27 left in the second quarter and the ball was still touching the rim when Corey Maggette grabbed it and triggered a fast break, leading to a 21-footer by Maggette that cut Seattle's lead to 40-36.

Notes:@ The Clippers' loss left the Utah Jazz (6-0) and New Orleans Hornets (4-0) as the only teams that are unbeaten at home. Three of the Hornets' home games have taken place in Oklahoma City. ... The Clippers, who finished 41 percent from the field, have shot below 50 percent from the field in every game. Last season they were 50 percent or better 21 times (17-4) and finished the campaign shooting 46.5 percent. ... F Danny Fortson, limited to just 6 minutes in Seattle's last seven games because of a sore right knee, may be ready to play against Sacramento on Friday or San Antonio on Sunday. ... Allen increased his career point total to 15,844, passing Jack Twyman into 79th place all-time. Next on the list is "Pistol" Pete Maravich at 15,948. ... No Clippers starter had more than two field goals until Kaman's layup with 7:48 left in the third quarter.

"The Stampede are pleased to have Seattle as an affiliate team and feel that they will complement the Utah Jazz affiliation, "said Stampede General Manager Steve Brandes. "Fans now have the opportunity to see the future of two regional NBA franchises as first and second round draft picks from both teams will be playing at Qwest Arena in downtown Boise."

Currently, Seattle retains the rights to the 10th overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft along with the 40th and 53rd picks. Utah holds the 14th, 46th, and 47th picks. The draft will be held June 28th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The 2006-07 D-League roster of 12 teams will be composed of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles, Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.). Two divisions of six teams will be announced prior to the release of the 2006-07 schedule.

The Sonics concluded two days of workouts on Thursday and completed the first phase of their in-house evaluations before front-office personnel, scouts and coaching staff depart for next week's NBA predraft camp in Orlando, Fla.

If first impressions mean anything, the Sonics are smitten by Villanova guard Randy Foye and Duke standouts Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick, the notable prospects invited for workouts at the Furtado Center.

Williams, a 6-foot-9 All-America forward, auditioned Thursday with Bradley center Patrick O'Bryant, Florida State forward Alexander Johnson and Louisiana Tech forward Paul Milsap.

A day earlier, coach Bob Hill supervised a practice involving Foye and Redick as well as 7-foot centers Mouhamed Saer Sene of Senegal and Sidiki Sidibe of France.

The Sonics have chosen 7-footers in Robert Swift and Johan Petro in the past two drafts, which makes it unlikely they'll take Sene and Sidibe in the June 28 draft.

According to a team source, the focus of Wednesday's exhibition was establishing whether Foye or Redick is a better fit should the Sonics take a shooting guard with the 10th pick.

Citing team policy, general manager Rick Sund declined to comment specifically on the workouts or prospects, but said the Sonics are in the early stages of evaluations.

"We know more than we did a week ago, but we're still pretty open," Sund said. "We've narrowed it down a bit, but it's too early to say we're going in a specific direction or we're looking at a specific type of player."

Workouts are closed to the media, but those in attendance said both 6-4 guards played to their strengths. Redick is the all-time ACC scoring leader, while Foye is regarded as one of nation's top perimeter defenders.

"My workout with the Sonics went well," Redick said via e-mail. "I was pleased with the way I shot the ball, and it is always exciting to compete against a player the caliber of Randy Foye.

"I really enjoyed working with coach Hill and his staff and having the chance to sit down and talk with Rick Sund and Wally Walker. It was my first time visiting Seattle, and from what I saw, it is a beautiful city. I know the people of Washington are passionate about their sports teams — it would be great to play in a city with such tremendous fan support."

The Sonics also have the 40th and 53rd picks in the second round.

It seems Howard Schultz and the rest of the owners of the Seattle Supersonics are attempting to extort Seattle into corporate welfare for a new stadium. Schultz’s apparent reason for being is the subjugation of neighborhood commons to the purpose of profit. Though City Hall dolled out sweetheart deals to the Mariners and the  Seahawks, the audacity of this plan has spurred some pushback. From Rick Anderson’s summary of the Seattle situation, Schultz and the other owners proposed: to contribute all of $18.3 million toward a new arena. The most specific arena plan (see “The Sonics’ Venue Envy,” Feb. 1) is a $271.5 million package that includes existing debt on KeyArena; with interest, the bottom line to taxpayers would be more than $400 million.

These scumbags haven’t even paid off the debt on their powderpuff loans from the last corporate welfare deal and they want more money!

By Mike Rothman

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

For the third consecutive year, the team with the worst record in basketball did not win the NBA Draft Lottery. Despite a record of 21-61, the Portland Trail Blazers slipped to the fourth selection for the 2006 draft. This was not a huge surprise, given Portland only had a 25% chance of winning the top pick.

Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson did not seem shaken by his team's drop in the order, hinting to the fact that last year’s fourth selection, Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul, was the overwhelming NBA Rookie of the Year for the Hornets.

"You may find a player with as big an impact at No. 4 or even No. 6 as you may at No. 1," Patterson said.

Meanwhile, the team that did beat the odds and claimed the first overall pick was the Toronto Raptors, despite only an 8.8% chance of winning. General Manager Bryan Colangelo, recently hired away from the Phoenix Suns, was excited about the first pick and said it is a sign of things to come for the downtrodden Raptors.

"For us to have this kind of luck is a symbol of a reversal of fortune going forward," Colangelo said. "We have our work cut out. This will help."

The biggest loser in the lottery had to be a team that wasn't in it: the New York Knicks. After posting their worst record (23-59) in 20 years, the Knicks weren't a factor Tuesday night. Why? Because in the 2005 off season, Isiah Thomas dealt the rights to New York's No. 1 pick in 2006 to the Chicago Bulls for underachieving center Eddy Curry.

The 6’-11” Curry had been diagnosed with heart problems, which is why the Bulls were looking to deal him. In New York, Curry averaged fewer than 26 minutes per game in 2005-06, and less than one block and six rebounds per outing. He also was rarely on the court during crunch time due to his weak defense.

Thus, the lottery's biggest winners had to be the young, up-and-coming Bulls, who ended up with the second overall pick. The Bulls were 41-41 this season and earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, where they pushed the second-seeded Heat to the limit in the opening round. The Bulls already have one of the best young backcourts in the league with Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, and will look to add a front-court impact player in this year’s draft.

"We made the deal, and we're lucky we got in the lottery," said John Paxson, the Bulls' Executive Vice President.

As for the players vying for to be taken No. 1 overall, there does not appear to be a clear-cut choice. Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Texas power forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge, LSU forward Tyrus Thomas and Italian power forward Andrea Bargnani are considered the top candidates.

Aldridge, who reaffirmed his stock in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 with a 26-point, 13-rebound performance against West Virginia, could be the slight favorite for the Raptors. Toronto also likes Bargnani, who is considered a prospect in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki.

The Raptors' Colangelo would not comment on which way the team is leaning.

"Right now we've got a month to go, and we'll see what comes our way and see what we can dig up," Colangelo said. "I think there are about five or six names that could be there. We need a one [point guard] or a five [center]."

This year’s draft may be as much about the players not in it as those who are available. With the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, this will be the first year that high school seniors won't be eligible for the draft. That eliminated Greg Oden, a 7-foot prep phenom bound for Ohio State this fall, who would have been a lock for the first pick.

Another big man who will not be on the draft board this year is Joakim Noah, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA Final Four. Noah led the Florida Gators to a surprise NCAA title, but decided not to strike while the iron was hot and come back to Gainesville for a run at another championship.

Those are two names most GMs would have rated at the top of their boards this year.

So maybe there is no true big winner of the 2006 lottery. The big winner in the NBA could be the team with that lucky ping-pong ball in 2007.

By Mike Rothman
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer 

Let me paint a picture for you. It is this past Monday night; you have just opened another beer and are toasting with your friends. Why? Being the smart gambler that you are, you placed a significant wager on the San Antonio Spurs over the Dallas Mavericks, and the Spurs are up 111-109 with 15 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Even more important, by betting on the Spurs, the Sportsbook gave you 4.5 points because the game is in Dallas. No need to worry about that now because the Spurs look like a lock to win outright.  

“This game’s over. Finley’s three-pointer sealed the game,” your friend says.

Dallas comes out of their timeout and predictably feeds the basketball to their star, Dirk Nowitzki. You are counting down the seconds, waiting for the final shot and the game to end, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. Dirk is simply backing down in the paint and covered by San Antonio’s defensive stopper, Bruce Bowen. All of a sudden, a whistle blows, but nothing really happened. Did Dallas call a timeout? Nope. The referee calls a personal foul on Bruce Bowen, and the Spurs are over the foul limit.

“WHAT, are you serious?” you start to scream. “Nothing happened!”

A little bead of sweat begins to form on your brow, and you crouch about five inches from the television. Nowitzki calmly makes the first free throw. You cannot believe this is happening. Nowitzki calmly makes the second free throw. Duncan misses a last second shot, and the game goes into overtime. You still have the spread, but of course, the Mavericks end up winning the game, 123-118. Your money is gone. In the span of a second, you went from euphoria to depression. Why? Did you pick the game wrong or celebrate too early?

No, poor officiating once again ruined another close game in another crucial situation. Why is the officiating so bad? There are two reasons. First, the salaries are too low, considering the power that these officials possess. For NBA refs, salaries can be as low as $90,000 per year. This may seem high, but it is not when compared to what players and coaches make. Furthermore, these officials are human, and there has to be some resentment that these guys control million dollar players, but make less than $100,000. This contributes to bad calls, consciously or unconsciously.

Pay these guys. Put them on the same level as the players or at least the coaches. Level the playing field and better results will follow. I am not saying that refs should be paid millions of dollars, but they should at least receive more than they are making now. Some of these guys just do not care, and why should they?

The other factor is the lack of punishment from the League Office. After game four in Dallas, multiple suspensions and fines should have come down on those officials, but basically, nothing happened. It was not just the last play of regulation that was called poorly, but rather, the entire game. On a team, if a player is not producing, he is benched. Why not do the same for professional officials? There needs to be a possible punishment in the mind of the official to ensure his full effort.

Punish these guys. Again, try to level the ground and put the officials in the players’ shoes. Professional sports needs to put an end to the whole referee vs. player war and make a joint effort to create fair contests. This will result in classic games where the right team actually wins the game.

I will leave you with one of the greatest current examples of poor officiating, Super Bowl XL. This game was atrocious. Actually, the game never seemed to start but was completely dominated by the officials. The TV ratings were the lowest for a Super Bowl in recent years, and anytime a great play was made, it was simply reversed by the refs. Why did this happen? This happened for the same reasons I stated above. NFL referees make as little as $25,000 a year and are considered part-time employees. Lonely sports writers make more than that. In addition, there was not really any severe punishment. This was the Super Bowl, one of the biggest sporting events of the year. People, we need to make a change across the board. If not, we are going to be left with these part-time employees controlling the fate of the biggest sporting events, and like it or not, our money is at stake.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
After a start in which he was shooting a career-low field goal percentage, Ray Allen finished the season incredibly strong. In fact, he had a career year, averaging 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER
Vladimir Radmanovic, who turned down $42 million over the summer, never could seem to get past that, whining about playing time, being divisive on the court and in the locker room and never having a positive affect. Eventually, both sides had enough and they mutually agreed to go through with a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.

FREE AGENT FOCUS
The team's only real free agents are Chris Wilcox and Mike Wilks. Wilcox is restricted, and the Sonics have little choice but to keep him. He emerged as the third scorer they were seeking all season and has shown he can be a force on an uptempo team like the Sonics. The team would like to keep Wilks as a third guard, but if they don't it will have little effect.

PLAYER NOTES

--Danny Fortson says he would like to be traded before next season. If not, he has insinuated he would make it difficult for the Sonics by misbehaving.

--Fortson will make $6.9 million next season. The Sonics will not buy out Fortson because if his knee is not fully healed, then insurance pays 80 percent of Fortson's salary.

--Luke Ridnour will compete for a spot on the Olympic team in July.

By Jeff Zell

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

It is a catastrophe that in professional sports, a non-winning record can set the table for a legitimate shot at a world title.

In baseball, it has come close (see 2005 San Diego Padres, 1973 NY Mets). In the NFL, only two .500 teams have made the playoffs since 1991 (1991 NYJ, 2004 STL). In the NBA, however, it has been the norm to find teams with a losing record compete in late April and into May.

Below, a table of the number of .500 win percentage teams, the number of first round games they have won, and the number of series they have gone on to win.

Courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com

Parody just hasn’t existed in the NBA playoffs. These 15 teams in the last 10 years have combined to win just 12 playoff games and have never advanced. In 2004, four teams in the East had the shot and surely one could pull off the upset? Not even the four vs. five could do it.

The last time a team with a losing record entered the playoffs and won a Series was 1988. Then, the Seattle Supersonics boasted a 39-43 record as the 7-seed and made it all the way to the conference finals. They upset both Dallas and Houston, before being swept by Pat Riley’s Los Angeles Lakers.  Since Seattle, a total of 31 teams have entered the playoffs with a record at or below .500. And these teams are 0-31 in playoff series.

So, how good of a chance do Milwaukee (40-42), Chicago (41-41) and Indiana (41-41) have this year?  I’m not going to say “none,” because that’s why they play the game—but let’s delve into these match-ups.

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Milwaukee

One-seeds haven’t lost since 1999. But there was a technicality about that year: First, 1999 was the NBA lockout year, and only 50 regular season games were played. Second, three other teams had the same 33-17 record, but Miami won by a tiebreaker.

In a full 82-game season, it was the 1994 Denver Nuggets who upset the top-seeded Supersonics to advance to the second round.

With Flip Saunders at the helm, we’ve seen the Pistons play looser offensively, but still maintaining impressive defense—leading them to their best regular season record ever (64-18). Don’t worry about the nonsense concerning Ben Wallace not getting along with Flip: This team is focused when it comes to the playoffs.

Having said this, Milwaukee has their hands full. Let’s just look at player vs. player matchups.

Billups will substitute size for speed and can dominate Ford. Hamilton is a workhorse. Prince is undoubtedly better than Simmons. And I’ll just point out the experience from the front court to suffice my argument for the Wallaces.

To make matters worse, the only type of success they had against Detroit was when they played Toni Kukoc at the three. Kukoc is already banged up and will miss the first game, so his health will be a definite factor.

Prediction: Pistons in a sweep

(2) Miami vs. (7) Chicago

Chicago is the hottest of the East’s bottom-3, finishing 12-2 in their final 14 to slip into the show. They had a similar run in the final month of the season last year, winning 15 of their last 19 games. The Bulls’ only win against the Heat in the regular season came back on April 15 when the Heat rested most of their stars.

In the playoffs, it comes down to defense and though the “Baby Bulls” are young, they do buckle down, leading the NBA for the second straight season in defensive field-goal percentage (.426).

Offensively, the Bulls’ patented “drive-and-kick” out game has given opposing teams a hard time. Ben Gordon ranks 2nd in the Eastern Conference, hitting 43.9-percent from 3-point land, and point-guard Kirk Hinrich has shot 42.9-percent from behind the arc in his last five games.  

Although the Heat have been locked into the No. 2 spot since basically January, I don’t see them having trouble kicking into high gear. Even when the Bulls shut down Wade in their meetings this year (12.3 ppg), the Heat have found a way to win.

The Bulls have no answer for Shaq, who had 14 points and 6 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action on April 15.

Prediction: Heat in 5

(3) New Jersey vs. (6) Indiana

This might very well be the best shot for a team at the .500 mark in the regular season to win a Series. The Nets came from the weak Atlantic Division that sent no other teams beside themselves to the playoffs. The two teams have similar defensive work ethics, as they are 5^th and 6^th in points allowed, respectively, in the NBA. The interesting thing about this series is the way they view each other: New Jersey players have said the Pacers are a good transition and look to slow it down, while Indiana players have said the exact same thing about the Nets! Wow, this should be a fun series to watch!

Jermaine O’Neal looks to be healthy into the playoffs, having played 30-plus minutes in his final 11 regular season games, but I don’t foresee him being the difference. The difference must come from the defense side of the ball, in particular, the ability to stop Vince Carter.

Peja Stojakovic and Stephen Jackson must play top-notch to pull the upset.

I have a feeling this series will go seven. The Nets were 29-12 at home, fourth-best home record in the Eastern conference, so that’s the way I lean.

Prediction: Nets in 7

By Michael Rothman

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Well, this counts for everything but the National Basketball Association. The first problem we had this post-season was the division rule, which will leave the Spurs to play the Mavericks in the second round, all due to a technicality of being in the same division. This rule alone should constitute uproar from the fans and needs to be addressed immediately. Now, we have another significance issue.

We have the fact that the MVP Award is announced and decided before the NBA playoffs are over. It is decided on before the first round is even over! What’s the result? It was announced Wednesday that Steve Nash will win his second straight MVP Award.

Now I am not arguing that Nash is not worthy of his second MVP. Actually Nash supporters are going to say that he had a better statistical year this season than last season, when he was the clear choice for MVP. Sure, Nash upped his points from 15.5 per game last year to 18.8 per this year, but last year was last year. More importantly, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James were not in the playoffs last year and did not come even close to the caliber of seasons they each had this year.  What I am arguing is that other players are just more deserving of the award.

On Wednesday night, Nash got posterized like no one has ever seen before. Who was the player that abused Nash so horribly, you ask? Oh it was Kobe Bryant, another top candidate for MVP and someone more worthy of the honor than Nash. More than just making Nash look like a fool on national television, Bryant’s dunk in the fourth quarter sealed the victory for the Lakers over the Suns. This now leads us back to our issue at hand.

The Suns might not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. After the Lakers’ 93-90 victory Wednesday night, the series is even at one game a piece. Now, the Lakers are heading back to Los Angeles with home-court advantage and control of the series. By the way the Lakers are 27-14 at home this year and we all know Kobe is going to turn it up a notch for the home crowd. If this round is the last stop for the Suns, where does that leave Nash? At home with his MVP trophy, even after he couldn’t beat the seventh-seeded Lakers in the opening round. Remember way back when Charles Barkley was actually one of the first MVPs not to win the NBA Championship? That was in 1993 and seems like ages ago now. Back then the MVP committee got things right, and even more ironic is that Barkley won the award while playing for the Suns, Nash’s current team.

More over, if the Suns do in fact lose to the Lakers in the first round, the case grows even stronger that Kobe is the MVP. Do I have to read the laundry list of accomplishments to you? The man scored 35 points per game during the regular season, not to mention getting an overachieving Lakers team back into the playoffs with a record of 45-37. And now he might get them into the second round as a seventh seed. Without Kobe, this team would already be planning for the Draft Lottery.

And what about Lebron James? The Cleveland Cavs are the fourth seed in the East. Let me repeat, the Cleveland Cavs are the fourth seed in the East. Don’t forget that the Cavs also won 50 games this year. This is an achievement in itself. Let’s not forget Lebron’s playoff debut; he only scored a triple double against the Wizards. This is exactly why the playoffs have to count toward the MVP voting, because the playoffs are where legends are made.

Don’t get me wrong, Nash is a nice player who had a nice season. But aren’t MVPs supposed to be spectacular players who have spectacular seasons. Before you answer that question, answer this one. If you take Kobe away from the Lakers and Nash away from the Suns, which team suffers more? The answer to that is your 2006 MVP. I’ll give you a little hint. It’s not Steve Nash.

Bet the NBA Playoffs @ WagerWeb.com Sportsbook

By Daniel Kline

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1

NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)

Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2

Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)

Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3

Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)

Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4

Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)

A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5

College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)

Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6

Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)

Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7

Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)

Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelseadid just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.

Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

The Seattle SuperSonics basketball team front office should be whistled for a flagrant foul against the public for its latest veiled threat to move the National Basketball Association franchise out of the city, probably even the state.

Throw in a technical foul for insulting the public's intelligence with the miserly offer of what the organization is willing to pony up to stay.

The Sonics brass says the team is willing to contribute $18.3 million of a proposed $220 million upgrade of KeyArena, where the team plays its home games. If you do the math, that's about 8 percent.

The public, of course, would be expected to pay the other 92 percent — nearly $202 million.

Ray Allen broke the National Basketball Association's single-season record for 3-pointers as he led the SuperSonics to a 109-98 win over Denver on the final day of the regular season.

Allen scored 27 points and made 7-of-13 from the arc to finish the 2005-06 campaign with 269 3-pointers, breaking the mark set by Dennis Scott in 1995-1996.

He raised his career total to 1,755, second on the all-time list behind Reggie Miller.

Allen sank five 3-pointers in the first quarter and scored 20 points in the opening half to help Seattle take a 55-35 lead at intermission over the playoff-bound Nuggets.

Rashard Lewis and Luke Ridnour scored 15 points each and Earl Watson added 14 off the bench for the SuperSonics, who forced 25 turnovers and made 25-of-27 free throws.

Playing without Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets dropped their fourth straight game. They open the playoffs Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Seattle, Apr 10: Ray Allen scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half, and his 3-pointer with 24 seconds left lifted the Seattle SuperSonics to a 116-114 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday (9th April).

The victory was a season-high fourth straight for Seattle but the Suns' still clinched the Pacific Division title because their closest rivals the Clippers lost to the Lakers 100-83 later on Sunday.

Allen was magnificent in the final minutes as Seattle rallied from an eight-point deficit. The All-Star scored 12 of Seattle's final 15 points.

At Key Arena in Seattle, the Supersonics hosted visiting Phoenix. In the 1st quarter, NBA most valuable player Steve Nash drove through an opening for a lay-up to equalise for Phoenix 4-4. Nash had 13 points and 11 assists in 30 minutes.

Then Phoenix guard Raja Bell made a lay-up that extended his side's edge to 23-15.

But Seattle fought back, and with Rashard Lewis' slam dunk, the Sonics were within 3-points, trailing 27-24.

In the 2nd quarter, small (6-foot-1; 185 cm) Seattle guard Earl Watson sped down court for a lay-up by basketball player Earl Watson to vault his side into the lead, 39-36.

Then, in this back-and-forth battle, Raja Bell sank a 3-pointer for Phoenix, who took a 50-46 advantage.

Late in the 2nd quarter, Johan Petro, a native of France, put in a short jumper in the lane that gave Seattle the lead once more, 53-52.

In the 3rd quarter, Ray Allen moved the Sonics to within 2-points of Phoenix with a jumper, and it was 65-63.

Once again, Phoenix responded and surged ahead. Tim Thomas sank a flat-footed jumper for an 85-78 lead.

And yet again, Raja Bell hurt Seattle once more with a 3-pointer for a 91-85 Phoenix lead. Bell led Phoenix with 23 points.

The game was decided in the final moments. Trailing 114-113, all-star guard Ray Allen connected on a 3-pointer that moved Seattle into a 116-114 lead with 16.5-seconds left.

With Seattle trailing 114-113, Earl Watson penetrated under the basket and passed to a wide-open Allen on the wing.

The 3-pointer was Allen's fourth of the game, moving him into third place on the NBA's single-season list with 241. Allen also moved past Sam Perkins and into 92nd place on the NBA's career scoring list.

The Suns tried their best with 0.1 seconds left and tried a lob for Raja Bell, but it was knocked away.

Seattle appeared confused and initially had six players on the floor before officials put the ball in play. Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni vigorously argued for a technical foul, but the officials let the extra Seattle player leave and did not make the call.

So Seattle were victorious 116-114. This marked the first time this season that Seattle have won four consecutive ballgames.

Ray Allen scored a team-high 24 points Sunday as Seattle easily beat the Portland Trailblazers, 122-83.

NBA's basketball player Earl Watson had 23 points, six assists and two rebounds; Damien Wilkins had 20 points and five rebounds; Chris Wilcox added 18 points, 13 rebounds and two assists; and both Robert Swift and Luke Ridnour scored 10 points for the SuperSonics (30-43).

Seattle broke a two-game skid, won by its largest margin this championship season, and handed Portland its 11th straight loss.

Allen also had six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

In an embarrassing effort, both Sebastian Telfair and Martell Webster scored 14 points; Darius Miles had 11 points, two rebounds and six assists; and Joel Przybilla had nine blocked shots for the Blazers (20-53).

The Philadelphia 76ers begin an important three-game road trip when they visit the Seattle SuperSonics tonight at KeyArena.

All-Star guard Allen Iverson is doubtful for tonight's game with a sprain and contusion of the right foot and could miss the entire swing for Philadelphia. The Georgetown product, who was injured in last Sunday's 94-91 victory at Memphis, leads the team in scoring (33.2 ppg) and assists (7.4 apg). He has missed five games this season.

The Sixers will try and bounce back from a tough loss. On Tuesday, Chris Bosh poured in a game-high 31 points as the Toronto Raptors used a brilliant fourth quarter to beat a short-handed Philadelphia club, 111-97, at the Wachovia Center.

John Salmons recorded a career-high 23 points in the loss to Toronto for Philadelphia, which has lost four of its last five games overall and played on Tuesday without Iverson. Chris Webber also scored 23 and pulled down 11 rebounds, while Andre Iguodala ended with 19 points and Matt Barnes scored 14 for in defeat for the 76ers.

Philadelphia, which will visit the Clippers on Friday and Golden State on Sunday, is just 12-18 on the road this season. The 76ers have won three of their last five as the visitor.

The disappointing SuperSonics attempt to get back on the winning track this evening. On Tuesday, Raja Bell scored 25 points to lead the Phoenix Suns over Seattle, 129-120, at KeyArena.

Ray Allen finished with 33 points in the loss to Phoenix for the SuperSonics, who had a two-game winning streak halted. Rashard Lewis scored 22, while Luke Ridnour contributed 19 points and 13 assists and Damien Wilkins netted 17 in defeat.

Seattle is 15-17 at home this season. The SuperSonics have dropped three of their last five as the host.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the squads. On January 9th, Iverson netted 41 to lead Philadelphia to a 107-98 win over the SuperSonics at the Wachovia Center.

Philadelphia has won two straight and three of the last four games in this series. The 76ers have won four straight and five of their last six at Seattle.