LOS ANGELES -- A trial will be held next month to determine whether Donald Sterling, who opposes his estranged wifes planned sale of the Los Angeles Clippers, was properly removed as an administrator for the family trust that owns the team. A probate court judge in Los Angeles Wednesday denied Shelly Sterlings urgent request to confirm her authority as sole administrator of The Sterling Family Trust so that she can unilaterally proceed with a $2 billion sale of the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Instead, the judge agreed to an expedited hearing because of looming sales deadlines. The development is the latest in a legal tug-of-war following the NBAs decision to ban Donald Sterling for life after racist remarks to a girlfriend were recorded and publicized. Donald Sterling is fighting the decision and suing the league for $1 billion. The league has contended the comments were bad for business and damaged both the Clippers and the NBA. The four-day trial was granted exceptionally quickly and will begin July 7. The deadline for the sale is July 15, which also is the date the NBAs owners hope to vote on whether they will approve the sale. Court filings Wednesday indicated the NBA has set a hard deadline of Sept. 15. If the sale isnt completed then, the league will undertake proceedings to seize and sell the team on its own. Donald Sterlings lawyer, Bobby Samini, left the courthouse without comment after a clerk announced the trial schedule. Neither Sterling was present. "I just want to resolve this as quickly as possible," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told The Associated Press on Wednesday in Miami at an NBA Cares event. The crux of the case will centre on the question of whether the 80-year-old Donald Sterling is mentally competent to be a co-trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which gives him the authority to determine the teams future. According to the trusts terms, he can be ruled "mentally incapacitated" after being evaluated by two doctors, said Pierce ODonnell, Shelly Sterlings attorney. Shelly Sterling activated that clause in negotiating what would be a record-breaking deal with Ballmer as sole trustee. But Donald Sterling challenged the removal in a letter sent Monday to his wifes attorney said "any attempt to remove me as a Trustee of the Sterling Trust is invalid and illegal. Furthermore, any assertion that I am incapacitated... is false and without merit." According to court documents, two doctors examined Donald Sterling in May and concluded that he suffers from "mild cognitive impairment consistent with early Alzheimers Disease" or some other forms of brain disease after examining brain scans and having him undergo other tests. "In my opinion he is substantially unable to manage his finances and resist fraud and undue influence, and is no longer competent to act as trustee of his trust," concluded Dr. James E. Spar, who is affiliated with the division of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA. Sterling voluntarily went to the doctors at the request of his wife, according to a person with knowledge of the proceedings who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly. A third doctor reviewed the two doctors findings as well as Sterlings brain scans and concurred with their conclusions that he "lacks the capacity to function as trustee." Donald Sterlings attorney, Maxwell Blecher, contested the doctors findings in remarks Tuesday to The Associated Press. "Anybody at his age level on a brain scan would probably show some impairment. But that doesnt mean you forget where your car keys are and youre incompetent," Blecher said. "There isnt the slightest evidence hes incapable of managing his affairs." Donald Sterling said in a statement that hes not just fighting for the Clippers but taking a stand against the NBA, which he called "a band of hypocrites and bullies" and "despicable monsters" who want "to take away our privacy rights and freedom of speech." "As Ive said previously, if Donald chooses to litigate against us, so be it," Silver said. "So its going to take longer than we had hoped for this transaction to close, but itll get done ultimately. Its just a question of time." Ballmers attorney, Adam Streisand, said he was pleased with the trial schedule and "confident that after the trial the court is going to bless this transaction." The NBAs general counsel, Rick Buchanan, warned in a court papers that if the judge didnt confirm Shelly Sterlings sole trusteeship and if her deal with Ballmer "is not promptly consummated, there will be substantial harm" to the Clippers, the NBA and even The Sterling Family Trust -- the last of which would be responsible for the NBAs costs related to the legal proceedings that result. Buchanan said a recent independent survey of more than 500 Clippers fans found the majority would be less likely to support the team if Donald Sterling remained its owner. Buchanan said thousands of NBA fans worldwide have contacted the league directly or via social media to say theyre hurt or embarrassed by his views and arent sure theyll continue supporting the league and its teams. He also cited NBA player worries about the impact for the team with the upcoming NBA draft. "Mr. Sterlings continued ownership is damaging the Clippers and NBAs relationships with existing and potential business partners and licenses," Buchanan wrote. He said nearly all of the Clippers local sponsors have terminated or suspended their relationships with the team, including Adidas, Commerce Casino and Hotel, Red Bull, Mandalay Bay Hotel, Virgin America and Mercedes. Shelly Sterlings court bid aims to have a judge confirm her authority as sole trustee to ensure the Ballmer sale moves forward. Blecher said that a representative for Donald Sterling would be at any hearing, and that the next step is to have other doctors evaluate Donald Sterling. "I have no doubt at the end of the day the court is not going to say hes incompetent," Blecher said. "Thats a very high burden in the probate court -- otherwise people would get their sisters and wife and brother-in-laws and everybody declared incompetent." ------ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report. Discount Shoes Black Friday . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Cheap Shoes Black Friday .ca! Hi Kerry, The recent issues in the Boston-Pittsburgh game have highlighted a number of officiating, game control, and player sportsmanship aspects. Buy Shoes Black Friday . Inter Milan ended its five-match winless streak in all competitions by beating 10-man Bologna 3-1 on new manager Claudio Ranieris debut, while injury-plagued AC Milan edged Cesena 1-0 with an early goal from Clarence Seedorf.Alec Martinez scored at 14:43 of double overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final, taking the series in five games, with three of the wins coming in overtime. Martinez, the 26-year-old defenceman enjoyed a breakthrough season, scoring a career-high 11 goals and 22 points in 61 regular season games, then followed up with five goals and five assists in 25 playoff games and was one of three Kings to have at least 75.0% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts during Game Five. The Kings earned the win in Game Five, outshooting the Rangers 51-30, but with that many shots, both teams had opportunities. Each team found iron a couple of times in the extra frames, but the Kings controlled play, particularly after the first period. Shot attempts were even after one, but the Kings had 68.8% of the total shot attempts from the start of the second period onward and that relentless attack finally paid off when Tyler Toffolis rebound landed on Martinezs stick. It was a sensational run for the Kings, rallying from multi-goal and multi-game deficits throughout the postseason, winning their last four overtime games on the way to the Cup. Kings RW Justin Williams, who scored the first goal of the game, won the Conn Smythe Trophy, finishing tied for second in the playoff scoring race with 25 points (9 G, 16 A) in 25 playoff games, scoring two goals and five assists in the Final, when he was skating on what was ostensibly the Kings third line. Williams had the best plus-minus in the postseason (plus-13) as he was on for 23 goals for and 10 against during 5-on-5 play. Williams had a game-high eight shots and 12 shot attempts in Game Five. Williams was a deserving winner, on a team full of viable candidates. D Drew Doughty was a stalwart, finishing with 18 points, while averaging 28:45 of ice time per game. C Anze Kopitar was the playoffs leading scorer, with 26 points (5 G, 21 A), one point ahead of Jeff Carter, who anchored That 70s Line, with rookies Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli on his wings. For their part, Toffoli and Pearson had the best possession stats for the Kings in the playoffs, and offered a glimpse at what could be a formidable line in the future. Pearson and Toffoli combined for 26 points (14 for Toffoli, 12 for Pearson) in the playoffs. Former Ranger Marian Gaborik, who tied Game Five early in the third period, led the playoffs with 14 goals, four more than Carter. Acquired from Columbus at the trade deadline, for Matt Frattin and aa couple of draft picks, Gaborik was a difference-maker for a Kings team that was having trouble scoring goals.dddddddddddd Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist stopped 48 of 51 shots in the deciding game, finishing the playoffs witha .927 save percentage. It was a terrific effort that ultimately came up short. Kings G Jonathan Quick wasnt at his best in the playoffs -- his .911 save percentage was well below his past couple postseasons -- but with the Kings controlling play in the Final, Quick needed to be good, not great. Rangers D Ryan McDonagh had an assist and played a game-high 42:12 in Game Five and led the Rangers in playoff scoring with 17 points (4 G, 13 A); this after going scoreless in the first 10 games of the playoffs. He hit the post on a great power play opportunity in overtime. Close, but no dice for the Rangers. Rookie LW Chris Kreider scored the Blueshirts second goal in Game Five and was one of their most dangerous forwards throughout the playoffs, registering 13 points (5 G, 8 A) in 15 games. Kreiders speed and physical game make him a threat, though it remains to be seen just how high his offensive ceiling may go. The story of disappointment for the Rangers lands on RW Rick Nash, who managed a total of three goals, despite registering 83 shots on goal, in the playoffs. That leaves Nash in rather select company of forwards that have had more than 70 shots on goal in a playoff year and scored three or fewer goals; the list includes Marian Hossa this year as well as Jonathan Toews and Tyler Seguin last year. Basically, this doesnt mean that Nash has forever forgotten how to score goals. That he finished seventh in the league in Goals/60 during the regular season is also evidence that Nash hasnt completely lost that skill. It was a bad time to go through that goal-scoring drought. In the end, the leagues best puck possession team hoists the Stanley Cup and looks like theyll have the horses to mount a strong defence next season. That the Final only went five games this year doesnt quite do justice to the tension involved in the series, with the Kings taking three games in overtime (two in double-OT) to dispose of the Rangers. These Kings didnt do it the easy way, needing seven games to win each of their first three series, but that heightened drama made for a satisfying conclusion to a brilliant postseason. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '