SEATTLE — If the NBA Board of Governors denies the pending sale and relocation of the Kings, the Seattle group seeking to purchase the franchise has a backup deal with the Maloof family.

The backup agreement would have the Seattle group, led by investor Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer, purchase a limited ownership of the Maloofs' stake in the Kings. The limited partnership would be a purchase of at least 20 percent of the stake at a value of $600 million.

MANCHESTER, England — As red-and-white ticker tape flew into the rainy sky above Old Trafford, a beaming Alex Ferguson hoisted up the Premier League trophy for a 13th and final time.It was the end of an era at Manchester United on Sunday as Ferguson coached his final home match for a club he has led for nearly 27 years. And he had a 38th piece of major silverware to celebrate.Ferguson leaves the game a true winner with 13 league titles, two Champions League titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups. He has managed 1,499 games for United.

MADRID — Serena Williams kept the No. 1, and added No. 50.Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title, while Rafael Nadal eased by Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury.The second-ranked Sharapova would have overtaken the top ranking with a win, but Williams stormed out to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve.

HELSINKI — The United States, Canada, Russia and Switzerland clinched quarterfinal berths at the hockey world championships Sunday.The Americans beat Germany 3-0. Bobby Butler and Paul Stastny scored within the first five minutes for the U.S.Jeff Skinner scored the winner in the third in Canada’s 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, reigning champion Russia came back after two losses to beat Slovakia 3-1, and unbeaten Switzerland defeated Norway 3-1 to win its sixth game.