Probable starters for the Sonics are Earl Watson, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Nick Collison and Johan Petro.

Probable starters for Golden State are Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins, Baron Davis and Monta Ellis

If Durant scores 18 points tonight, he’ll finish the season averaging 20 points a contest, become just the third teenager in the NBA to accomplish that feat, joining Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.

Most of the focus on the pregame talk tonight was on what the Sonics need to do during the offseason to get better.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo talked about the importance of building on the continuity established after this season, with the Sonics having the same coach for a second season for he first time in four years.

Carlesimo also said the Sonics could have a similar nucleus of players back, or they could have a much different team with the draft picks and possible trade opportunities available this summer.

“Our expectations are going to be more. We’re going to want to do more. A lot will be shaped by what we do with all of our draft picks. If we have five or six, first or second-year players next year, that’s going to make it challenging again.

“If we’re able to, however over the summer, make the team young and a little seasoned at the same time, it will be interesting. So I just think a lot questions will be determined by what happens over the next couple months, and before we start in October. I think our roster could be very, very similar, or it might be markedly changed. I’m not looking for one of the other, but I think there’s a potential for that to happen.”

Carlesimo talked for awhile. Listen to the full conversation here and here.

I also talked to Damien Wilkins, who said developing consistency is the key for next season. Wilkins also said the off-the-court stuff has been a distraction this season.

“We think about it, see it and talk about it from time to time. But it’s like this -- it’s hard to really focus on playing the game of basketball and winning when all this stuff is going on. When you don’t know where you’re going to go.

“When you’ve got real estate agents waiting for you after the game with business cards from Oklahoma City and meetings with the owner about moving, it’s hard to win and play basketball when all of that is going on.
“And it has been (a distraction). We shouldn’t be dealing with that stuff, and seeing it as much as we’ve been seeing it, but we are.”

ESPN senior writer Lester Munson, a Chicago attorney and journalist, says Howard Schultz plans to file a lawsuit against Clay Bennett to get the team back is a long shot.