Celtics Are Sold in a Surprise Deal

The Boston Celtics, after their best season in 14 years, will be sold to a local investment group for $360 million in a surprise deal announced Friday in Waltham, Mass.

The agreement was signed in New York. NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik said he expects league approval of the deal in a couple of weeks.

Paul Gaston, owner since 1992, is selling the team to a group led by venture capitalists Stephen Pagliuca and Wycliffe Grousbeck, as well as Grousbeck’s father, H. Irving Grousbeck, the founder of Continental Cablevision and now a Stanford Business School professor. Last season, the Celtics, at 49-33, reached the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Wycliffe Grousbeck praised General Manager Chris Wallace and Coach Jim O’Brien but didn’t discuss possible personnel moves.

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Charles Oakley may join Michael Jordan and former New York Knick teammate Patrick Ewing with the Washington Wizards. The 38-year-old power forward said several teams are interested in signing him, but he wouldn’t name them.

College Basketball

UCLA forward Andre Patterson has cleared one academic hurdle and has one remaining in order to gain eligibility for the winter quarter. University officials ruled Friday that Patterson demonstrated satisfactory progress during two summer school sessions. He now must continue to do so this fall in classes at Santa Monica College in order to become eligible in time for the Bruins’ fifth game, against Kansas Dec. 21.

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Cal State Dominguez Hills will appeal a Los Angeles Superior Court jury’s decision to force the school to pay former men’s basketball coach Mack Calvin $210,000 for racial discrimination. Calvin, who is African American, had his contract terminated after coaching the Toros to a 7-20 record during the 1996-97 season.

Tennis

Serena Williams reached the $585,000 Sparkassen Cup semifinals at Leipzig, Germany, beating Janette Husarova of Slovakia, 6-3, 6-2, for her 34th victory in 35 matches. Williams will face sixth-ranked Justine Henin of Belgium, who beat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-4, 7-5. Kim Clijsters of Belgium eliminated wild-card entry Barbara Rittner of Germany, 6-1, 6-0. Clijsters next faces Anastasia Myskina of Russia, who beat Meghann Shaugnessy, 6-4, 7-5.

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Feliciano Lopez of Spain upset top-seeded Marat Safin of Russia, 7-6 (2), 7-5, in the second round of the Salem Hong Kong Open. Lopez lost to Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. The second round and quarterfinals were played Friday to make up for rain delays earlier in the week.

Also advancing to the semifinals were second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero and third-seeded Carlos Moya, both of Spain, and France’s Jerome Golmard.

Miscellany

Lookn Mighty Fine, at 6-1, was a winner by one length in the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap at Fairplex Park. Lookn Mighty Fine’s victory was the third of the 12-race program for trainer Jeff Mullins.

In the fifth race at Fairplex, six of the nine horses were unable to finish after an incident in which Burnin’ Money, ridden by Martin Pedroza, broke down. Pedroza came back from the spill to win the seventh and eighth races.

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Regal Sanction beat No Parole by a head on a wet track to win the $350,000 Grade II Pegasus Handicap at East Rutherford, N.J.

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Loren Roberts made two long birdie putts on his last three holes and PGA rookie Pat Perez made nine birdies to earn a share of the second-round lead in the Texas Open at San Antonio.

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Andrew McLardy shot a 67 and Ernie Gonzalez a 68 to earn a share of the lead at eight-under 134 after 36 holes of the Buy.com Tour’s State Farm Open at Empire Lakes in Rancho Cucamonga.

Auto Racing

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for the Winston Cup Protection One 400 at Kansas City, Kan., with a fast lap of 177.924 mph on the 1.5-mile tri-oval in his Chevrolet. Michael Waltrip, who earlier Friday won the Busch Series pole for today’s Mr. Goodcents 300, will start on the outside of the second row.

Miscellany

Jorge Paez will fight in Southern California for the first time since 1997 when he headlines a six-fight card tonight at the Arrowhead Pond. Paez (73-14-5, 49 knockouts), from Mexicali, Mexico, faces Juan Angel Macias (27-17-2, 19) of Gomez Palacio, Mexico.

Passings

Hobbs Adams, the captain of USC’s 1925 football team, has died. He was 99. He was coach at Kansas State in 1940, 1941 and 1946, and an assistant at USC from 1935-39.