David Stern says deal within reach to end NB..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Thursday night a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to end the 119-day lockout is finally in sight, and he believes owners and players will have failed if they do not a reach a deal during the next couple days.

"There are no guarantees that we're going to get it done but we're going to give it one heck of a shot [Friday]," said Stern, following a seven-hour meeting between representatives for league owners and players in New York.

The sides continued to focus on system issues. Stern said they will tackle the long-debated split of basketball-related income when they reconverge Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

"We're looking forward to seeing whether something good can be made to happen," Stern said.

Thursday's meeting followed a 15-hour CBA session Wednesday that saw the sides make progress on key system-based issues, such as the luxury tax. That conference, which lasted until 3 a.m., produced renewed optimism and led NBA Players Association (NBPA) executive director Billy Hunter to say he thinks the entire 82-game 2011-12 regular season can still be saved if a deal is reached by Monday.

"I think we're within striking distance of getting a deal," Hunter said after Thursday's meeting. Brian T. SmithTwitter: @tribjazzbsmith@sltrib.comfacebook.com/tribjazz

David Stern says deal within reach to end NBA lockout