Sonics (Go) Boom.

“‘In a perfect world I would have liked to see Clay Bennett leave, without the team at all,’ said Steven Pyeatt, the co-founder of Save Our Sonics.” While the door isn’t quite closed yet — there’s one more lawsuit to go — a late agreement between new owner Clay Bennett and the city seems to suggest that Seattle has sadly lost their NBA franchise to Oklahoma City. “The settlement calls for Bennett and his Professional Basketball Club LLC to pay as much as $75 million to the city in exchange for the immediate termination of the lease. The team’s name and colors will be staying in Seattle.“

And don’t forget the Homosexual Nineties.

“Tyson Homosexual easily won his semifinal for the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials and seemed to save something for the final later Sunday…” The wacko-right American Family Association has a little trouble with their auto-replace software. (It’s been happening for awhile.)

Benvenuto Danilo.

“He’ll be a 6-11,3-point shooting, ball handler and passer,” D’Antoni said. “We think he has the potential to be above a good player. That’s how you build a team. We’re starting with him.” The Knicks begin the D’Antoni/Walsh era by picking Euroleague star Danilo Gallinari with the sixth pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Like most of the Knicks fan in attendance last night, I’m not particularly sold on the choice — an offense-minded, potentially soft swingman? Last I checked, we couldn’t and didn’t play D — especially since it means we’ll be bouncing David Lee. Then again, something had to give, I guess. Let’s just hope Gallinari is Italian for “Detlef Schrempf” and not “Darko Milicic.”

Celtic Pride.

Looks like the gamble paid off. In an auspicious sign for all the cellar-dwelling teams out there looking to turn it around in one year, the Boston Celtics completely eviscerate the Lakers 131-92 in Game 6, clinching their seventeenth championship (and first for likable superstars KG, Allen, and Pierce.) Congrats to the Celts and to the Boston fans (Well, some of ’em)…and New York, take a gander. The draft is a little over a week away…

Give the Celts — and MJ — their due.

“‘We just wet the bed,’ Kobe said. ‘A nice big one, too. One of the ones you can’t put a towel over. It was terrible.‘” A brief note regarding the Lakers’ historic collapse at home last night in Game 4: I remain down on Bill Simmons, but he’s got an excellent point here: “[L]et’s just say MJ’s teams never blew a 24-point lead at home in the Finals…The Kobe-MJ thing…done. Over. Jordan never would have let that happen in the Finals. Ever. Under any circumstances. Nobody is ever allowed to bring this up again.”

The Fix was In?

”My first thought [upon hearing Donaghy’s allegation] was: I knew it,’ [Scot] Pollard said Tuesday night. ‘I’m not going to say there was a conspiracy. I just think something wasn’t right. It was unfair. We didn’t have a chance to win that game.’” If he’s going down, he’s taking the League with him: In court filings yesterday, disgraced ref Tim Donaghy insinuates that NBA “company men” refs fixed several playoff games, including the much-disputed Lakers-Kings Game 6 of 2002 (a.k.a. “the Nader game.”) Uh oh…

The Finals Countdown.

A programming note: Game 1 of the throwback Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals is tonight at 9pm, and ESPN is setting the stage with several “Finals Factors”: Kobe | The Celtics D | Paul Pierce | Home Court | The Benches. The smart money seems to be picking LA, and after watching most of these playoffs I’m inclined to agree with them: While Boston has been wildly inconsistent against suspect teams, particularly on the road, LA has been marching inexorably through the stronger, deeper West. Still, I’ll stick with my original prediction (and my general rooting interests for the East, for Garnett and Allen, and against Kobe & the Lake Show) and say Celtics in 7, even if said outcome will make egregious Homer Bill Simmons that much more insufferable.

Secrets of the HVL.

“If your catch needs work, both Ms. Guerette and Mr. Butt suggested practicing putting your blades in and out of the water while sitting in the catch position at full compression (legs bent, chest nearly touching thighs, arms extended). Ms. Guerette recommended doing this drill in shallow water, since there’s a chance you could fall into the drink.” By way of several ex-rower friends: In the NYT, Charley Butt (my former HVL coach) and one of his current proteges, Olympian Michelle Guerette, offer pointers on how to improve your stroke, and sum up how I spent a good bit of time in college. (See also the accompanying slideshow and video.)

The Way the Bull Bounces.

“After this season, we needed a break and I think we just got one tonight.” Take that, D’Antoni: With only a 1.7 percent chance to procure the #1 pick, the Chicago Bulls beat the odds last night in the NBA lottery, thus knocking the Knicks down to No. 6. Well, bleah.

Meanwhile, as far as the NBA Finals go, I got three of the Final Four correct (So much for the Suns.) That being said, Lakers-Spurs in the West is sort of a worst-case scenario for me. And while I can’t believe it’s come to this, I may actually be rooting for Kobe and the Lakers in this series. Ugh, I feel dirty.

D’Antoni to the Garden?

Has Donnie Walsh landed his first big fish? Word is NY has outbid Chicago, and the Phoenix Suns’ Mike D’Antoni is our new Knicks coach. Um…gratz? Mike D’Antoni seems like a good coach and an amiable guy, but is an offensive-minded, fast-break specialist really what we need right now? It’s really hard to envision Eddy Curry, Zack Randolph, and the gang running the floor for D’Antoni like the Suns did. And while we have many problems, and consistent offense surely ranks among them, defense is really where the Knickerbockers have stunk up the joint of late.

Well, it’s an interesting pick, if nothing else. Let’s see where it goes.