NBA labor negotiations still going

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NBA owners and players logged more than 15 hours in their previous negotiating session and apparently were on their way to another long one Thursday in New York.

Whatever it takes to try to save the season.

The sides are trying to beat the clock after guarded optimism emerged from a robust session Wednesday that stretched until early Thursday.

Reporters were not invited into the latest round of discussions, which began Thursday at 2 p.m. EDT, but it wasn’t hard to imagine what was happening, especially after Commissioner David Stern’s comments at a news conference Thursday morning.

He said Wednesday’s meeting was productive ... and arduous. Then he said he was hopeful that Thursday’s meeting would be equally productive ... and that it probably would be arduous.

The finer points of a labor deal are being debated, including differences on luxury taxes and midlevel exceptions, but the key will be a compromise on the big-ticket item: basketball-related income. It wasn’t discussed in the meeting that began Wednesday, and it might not be touched Thursday. It’s a touchy issue indeed, with owners demanding a 50-50 split of BRI and players wanting at least 52.5% of the pie after getting 57% last season.

To be continued ...

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-- Mike Bresnahan