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DOLAN JUST FIRED AWAY

Jurors yesterday heard Garden Chairman James Dolan nonchalantly admit to firing a top Knick executive while her sexual-harassment claims were still under investigation and brush off charges that she was verbally abused on the job.

Appearing in a videotaped deposition, Dolan dismissed allegations by Anucha Browne Sanders that Knicks coach Isiah Thomas had cursed her to her face, while hoops star Stephon Marbury bad-mouthed the executive behind her back.

“At the [Madison Square] Garden, is it appropriate for someone to refer to another employee as a ‘black bitch’ or a ‘bitch?’ ” Sanders’ lawyer Anne Vladeck asked.

“No, it’s not appropriate. It is also not appropriate to murder anyone. I don’t know that that has happened either,” said Dolan, casually dressed in a dark long-sleeved T-shirt.

Dolan said he made a split-second decision to fire Sanders in January 2006 without the advice of lawyers – and knowing she had lodged sexual-harassment charges.

“All decisions at the Garden I make on my own,” the cocky chairman testified. “I specifically . . . did not consult with counsel.”

“I felt that the overall health of the Garden was at jeopardy here and that . . . would override any opinion of counsel,” Dolan said.

Dolan said he made the snap judgment to fire Sanders when human-resources executive Rusty McCormack told him – as the two rode in a helicopter from Bethpage, L.I., to the Garden – that she’d tampered with an internal probe into her complaints.

“Same day, I think. Within 24 hours,” Dolan said when asked how long it took for him to give Sanders the ax.

Dolan said he believed Sanders “was attempting to coerce” employees who worked under her “into corroborating her complaint.”

Lawyers for Sanders played the taped deposition on the last day of their case against MSG and Thomas in an effort to show that Sanders was fired as payback for lodging sexual-harassment complaints.

Sanders has accused Thomas of cursing her out – calling her “bitch,” “f- – -ing bitch” and “ho” – and then suddenly changing his tune to profess his love.

Dolan said he knew Sanders had lodged formal allegations, but never read any documents related to her complaints.

Asked if he knows the meaning of “retaliation,” Dolan said, “I think I understand the concept. Essentially, it is an action taken against a person in response to their making a formal allegation.”

Earlier in the day, a Knick executive who is a close pal of Sanders testified that she repeatedly complained about Thomas for spewing foul language.

“What the f- – – is your job? What are your job responsibilities, you f- – -ing ho?” Thomas cursed, according to Jeffrey Nix’s second-hand account.

“Don’t forget, you f- – -ing bitch, I’m the president of this f- – -ing team,” Thomas told Sanders, according to Nix.

In a series of videotaped depositions, Garden officials passed the buck on why Marbury was never questioned after Sanders accused him of calling her “black bitch” behind her back.

“Things were happening quickly. I did not get back to anyone,” said Garden President Steven Mills.

“It slipped my mind and I didn’t go back and do anything about it,” said human-resources executive John Moran.

Sanders has also accused Marbury, who is not a defendant in the case, of luring an intern into his truck for a sexual encounter after a party at a strip club.

Faye Brown, Sanders’ administrative assistant, recalled telling her boss that she should talk to the intern, Kathleen Decker, because “something seems to be upsetting” Decker.

“There’s something going on with Kathleen. I think you need to talk to Kathleen because something’s bothering her,” Brown said she told Sanders, then the vice president of marketing for the team.

Brown and Sanders’ discussion led to Sanders’ meeting with Decker about Marbury, in which Decker told her what had happened and that she “had to” get into his truck because of “who he was.”

Brown also said she witnessed Sanders interacting with Thomas at a holiday party in 2004, when the pair played a game of “horse” on the basketball court.

“Anucha was shooting. As she was shooting, I saw him look at her up and down,” Brown said.

Asked if she noticed the expression on his face, Brown replied, “He bit his lip.”

Within the next month, Sanders told Brown that Thomas had approached her that night and told her that he was in love with her and that “their love is like [the movie] ‘Love and Basketball.’ ”

Brown said that at the time, Sanders told her that the married Thomas “has a split personality. First, he’s cursing at me. And now he’s in love with me. He doesn’t understand that’s not the kind of woman I am.”

Sanders is suing MSG, Dolan and Thomas, seeking job reinstatement and $10 million.

Mills, president of the Garden and the first witness scheduled for the defense, is expected to take the stand today.

kati.cornell@nypost.com