The last several months, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have been quietly working hard on a new collective bargaining agreement to avoid a work stoppage, which took place before a deal was struck in 2011.The negotiations have been building toward this week, when a crucial moment in the talks will arrive. Here is a quick explanation of what is taking place:Q: What is the Dec. 15 deadline?A: When the NBA and the players union ended the lockout in 2011, they agreed to a 10-year collective bargaining agreement through 2021. However, a provision allows either side to declare the intention -- by Dec. 15, 2016 -- to opt out of the last four years of the CBA. From the day they signed this contract, both sides knew theyd probably be talking about a new agreement now and not in 2021. That date arrives Thursday.The desire has been to have a new deal done so a replacement plan would be in place, to assure labor peace, at the moment the current one is terminated. If a new CBA isnt in place, either the league or the union -- or perhaps both -- will opt out, and the current CBA will end on June 30, 2017.Q: So if the sides dont agree by Thursday, will there be another lockout?A: Not necessarily. Thursday is a procedural deadline. The real deadline for getting a deal done is July 1 of next year. If the opt-out clause is invoked and there isnt a deal by then, thats when a lockout would begin. There is still lots of time. The true deadline is probably September, when actual training camp time would be lost.However, both sides are motivated to get a deal done, and doing so now, six-plus months early, would be a great sign and assure no disruption in the leagues momentum. If theres a roadblock now, it could end up fostering bad blood. These talks have been framed as a CBA extension, not a new CBA because many issues settled in the previous CBA are being left alone. If the sides have to start from scratch, theres a greater chance problems will arise.Q: Could this deadline be pushed back?A: Sure, the sides could mutually agree to extend it out a few days if they feel theyre in deal range. They have been talking intensively for months now and have settled a lot of matters. The biggest issue is always the split of the revenue pie -- that is what caused the loss of games in 2011 -- and the sides have agreed to leave the current split essentially in place.The players have been getting between 49-51 percent of basketball revenue the past six years, depending on a series of complex factors. As long as that agreement holds, its likely there will be no lost time.Q: So whats the holdup?A: The biggest sticking point is believed to be the licensing deal. This is about the money that comes in from brands that use NBA logos or likenesses of players: jersey sales, video games, the official beer of the NBA, etc. In the past, this agreement has been separate from the CBA, but it appears the sides want to make changes to the contract now.They have been talking for several weeks about this and dont yet have a resolution. But with so many larger matters, and since commissioner Adam Silver and union executive director Michele Roberts are focused on making sure their first CBA together doesnt involve a work stoppage, leaders on both sides believe they can get something done.Q: So why was Carmelo Anthony so pessimistic?A: Anthony is one of the union vice presidents, and he was clearly frustrated in his remarks to ESPN over the weekend. It is typical in complex negotiations for sides to get upset with each other when problems arent resolved quickly. Deadlines also create pressure. That is manifesting itself here.This is clearly a challenge because there was a belief that a deal would be in place by now. On balance, theres been a lot more agreement in major areas, such as revenue split, expansion of the D-League, changes to free agency, changes to extension rules and a joint effort to help retired players.Q: How will this affect this season?A: In several ways. Teams have been waiting to make moves until they see what the new rules are. The future salary cap might change, the size of max contracts might change, and rules about contract extensions might change. If those new rules are finalized and teams can digest them, it may lead to a flurry of trades and perhaps even a contract extension or two as teams position themselves.If theres no deal, it might freeze the transaction market somewhat because teams will be cautious about making deals when they dont know all the new rules.Q: So theres no way games would be lost this season?A: Right, even if theres no deal this week, the current agreement will carry past the NBA Finals and the 2017 draft. All of those events will happen as scheduled. Pedro Strop Cubs Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. John Lackey Cubs Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. https://www.cheapcubs.com/120t-cole-hamels-jersey-cubs.html . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Ron Cey Jersey . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. Javier Baez Jersey . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. In the heat of the moment - and Chittagong moments come hotter than most - it may seem as if everything depends on the first hour or so of the final day of this wonderfully absorbing Test.And its true that with Bangladesh chasing an historic win there is plenty at stake. Sabbir Rahman, the calmest man on the pitch in the last hour, is already well on his way to joining fellow debutant Mehedi Hasan Miraz as a legend and England are in danger of making a losing start to their Asian tour. Six more Tests in these conditions before Christmas is starting to look like a mountainous challenge.The last day matters. And thats just the way it should be.But there is a bigger picture. There is a picture that sees the longest form of the game struggling to remain relevant across the world and a picture in which Bangladesh are fighting to prove its suitability as a host for international teams.And, in that grander scheme of things, this first Test has already been a resounding success. Contested by two fine but flawed sides, it has seen the initiative swing by the hour. It has seen new heroes introduced to the big stage and established stars produce memorable performances. It has been, in short, wonderfully, endlessly entertaining and unpredictable. Neither Mehedi Hasan nor Ben Stokes deserve to be on the losing side.Test cricket has proved, once again, that given a half-decent pitch, it remains great entertainment. Let us not be sidetracked here with a debate on whether it is more enjoyable than T20. It is perfectly reasonable to enjoy both in different ways. They can coexist.Whatever happens on the final day, Bangladesh can take great encouragement from this match. This is, after all, a team that has lost all eight of their previous Tests against England. It is a team that has not played Test cricket for more than a year, that is arguably without its three best seam bowlers, and that has, in its entire 94 Test history, only taken 20 wickets eight times previously. Zimbabwe and the under-strength West Indies side, captained by Floyd Reifer, were the opposition on the other occasions. Win or lose, Bangladesh have impressed in Chittagong, and anyone who loves Test cricket - even the most partisan England supporter - will celebrate their development.England deserve some credit, too. It would have been easy not to come on this tour. It would have been easy to cite the terrorist threats as a reason and to arrange some warm-up games in India ahead of that series. Instead they have understood the need to retain Bangladesh as a host nation in international cricket and taken the courageous decision to tour. Maybe, behind the scenes, the motivation has been political: a hope to win support in ICC meetings or similar. But at the players and coaches level, they have reflected on their options and chosen to embrace every aspect of this trip.If that sounds like a pretty insignificant decision, consider for a moment what might have happened to Bangladesh cricket in the longer term had England declined to tour. Consider, too, what it is like when you wake in the morning and see armed guards outside your window. When your commute to work is accompanied by several hundred armed men and when you know you cannot leave your hotel or dressing room for the duration of the tour.What England have done here is not insignificant. It is brave and admirable and good for the future of international cricket. The ECB has been involved in several greedy, selfish decisions in recent years. This time, at least, its intentions are good.It would be no disgrace to lose to this Bangladesh side either. Some portions of the media would portray it that way, but that would undervalue both sides. The truth is that whoever wins in these conditions, there is little to choose betwween the teams.dddddddddddd. That doesnt mean England are rubbish; it means they are far from perfect and that Bangladesh are improving. It disrespects Bangladesh to denigrate England.To their immense credit, the protagonists on both sides have appreciated that bigger picture here. Stuart Broad is a man sometimes loathed by opponents for his edge in the heat of battle. A man whose passion sometimes manifests itself in ways that irk. A man who gives everything every time he takes the field. A man who had just bowled a nine-over spell and is desperate to win and will do everything he can (within the Laws) to ensure England do just that. But even he understood he was part of something more important here.All the players have really enjoyed being here, Broad said. Its lovely being on the boundary. Some of the Bangladeshi fans have been chanting for England and I think they have really appreciated the fact that weve come. It was a big decision and Im glad the Test has been this exciting.I dont think any of us will sleep well tonight. With two wickets or 33 runs required, how could we? But everyone is drawn to Test cricket when it is tight and exciting. Ive been fortunate to play 99 Tests matches and this would certainly be in my top five of nerve-wracking finishes. I dont think anyone likes games where it is 600 v 600.Its been hard today, but thats part of the challenge of Test cricket. Its a test of character. Its about testing yourself in very different conditions. And this situation shows how far Bangladesh cricket has come. They have some high-quality players and were in a big battle tomorrow. Theres going to be 11 very disappointed and 11 delighted guys. We need to come out on top. None of this means that the result doesnt matter. In the fullness of time, England must reflect on the fact that, on a fourth-day pitch that turned from the first ball of day one, their captain was unable to trust any of his three spinners sufficiently to bowl when the match was coming to the boil. Gareth Batty offers control but lacks pace; Moeen Ali offers the bite but not the control, and Adil Rashid lacks both the pace and the control.They must reflect, too, on that fact that, for the 28th time since April 1, 2015, England were three wickets down before they reached 75 and consider whether Gary Ballance should be retained and whether Ben Duckett should be in the middle order rather than opening the batting.They need to think about the balance of their side - do they need another spinner, or would that represent mediocrity in depth? - and decide whether three spinners and three seamers is the way to go in India.Most teams would open with two spinners on day five. But England? Broad suggested it would be one spinner and one seamer. It may well prove to be Broad and Stokes searching for some reverse. Moeen looks the most likely wicket-taker of the spinners, but also looks liable to concede ten in an over.The ICC might also need to reflect on the quality of umpiring in this match. We know the job is tough and we know that we all endure poor days at work. But we have seen 24 reviews here and ten decisions overturned. That cant be right.But these things can wait. Anyone who thinks cricket is just about winning and losing doesnt understand the game at all. This has been an inspirational few days where all of us who value the game have won.Cricket has shown, as it has in Afghanistan and Ireland and Kenya and inner-cities and rural areas across the world, that it can unite and heal in a way politicians cannot. These things matter a great deal more than results. This has been a great game and the result wont change that. ' ' '