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After months of optimism surrounding a potential new collective bargaining agreement that would allow the NBA and the players union to avoid another work stoppage, the momentum has slowed a bit as a critical date approaches.Both sides have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday to opt out of the current deal. If that were to happen, they would have until the end of June to negotiate a new contract. Neither the owners nor the players believe it will get to that point, with both sides seeking a deal to ensure the league keeps enjoying skyrocketing revenue and rising television ratings.Were working tirelessly, union president Chris Paul said this weekend.Many of the major parts of the deal have been addressed, including keeping the basketball-related income split the same as it is in the current agreement. There was a belief in early November that an accord could be struck by Thanksgiving, but the complex negotiations have carried on well into December.There remain a few issues for the sides to settle before a deal can be voted on, and the owners overseeing the leagues side of the negotiations planned to meet on Monday for a progress report. If the two sides do not agree to a deal by the deadline, they could implement an extension to give them extra time.While union vice president Carmelo Anthony told ESPN that he was skeptical that a deal would get done by Thursday, there remained a healthy amount of optimism from both sides of the negotiating table that a deal will eventually be reached.We still got a few days, union vice president LeBron James told reporters in Cleveland on Saturday. Obviously, our game right now is the best its ever been, from where it is right here domestically to all the way around the world, so hopefully both sides come to an agreement.---GRIZZLIES ROLLINGWhen Mike Conley was diagnosed with a back injury that was expected to keep him out at least six weeks, the consensus was that the Memphis Grizzlies would have a difficult time remaining in the Western Conference playoff picture. But Grit `n Grind has always been much more than just a catchy slogan for the Grizzlies, who have once again refused to give in when misfortune strikes.Memphis (17-8) has won six straight since Conley went down, climbing to fifth place in the West, just a half-game behind Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers. First-year coach David Fizdale has inserted little-known Troy Williams into the starting lineup for Conley, while veterans Tony Allen, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have all stepped up their games to pick up the slack.The Grizzlies are also missing free agent prize Chandler Parsons (knee) and veteran Vince Carter (hip), but they thumped the Golden State Warriors on Saturday by 29 points, the first time they won a game by more than five points during this streak.---THE WEEK AHEADA look at some games to watch this week:Memphis at Cleveland, Tuesday: The red-hot Grizzlies face the rolling Cavs in a home-and-home back-to-back starting at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night.Minnesota at Chicago, Tuesday: Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau coaches in Chicago for the first time since he was fired by the Bulls in an acrimonious split two years ago.New York at Denver, Saturday: Its been six and half years since the trade, but its always worth watching when Carmelo Anthony returns to face the Nuggets.Oklahoma City at Portland, Tuesday: The human triple-double against Damian Lillard? Sign us up.---STAT LINE OF THE WEEKKlay Thompson, Golden State Warriors: 60 points, 21-33 FG, 8-14 3s, 29 minutes. The Splash Brother may be the most explosive player on Golden States star-studded roster, and proved it with an incredible scoring binge in just three quarters of work. Had coach Steve Kerr played him in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryants 81 points were certainly in jeopardy.---This story has been corrected to show CBA deadline is Thursday. Air Force One Schweiz . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Nike Air Force 1 Just Do It Schweiz .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. http://www.airforce1justdoitschweiz.ch/air-force-1-just-do-it-schweiz.html . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Air Force 1 Just Do It Schwarz .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Air Force 1 Herren Günstig .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. NEW YORK -- How do you follow winning Olympic gold at the Rio Olympics? How about a chance to see Hamilton on Broadway?The Tony Award-winning smash musical on Tuesday night welcomed the U.S. womens gymnastics team -- Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- who gave the show a standing ovation and greeted the cast onstage afterward at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.The gymnasts, dressed in skirts and rompers, sat together in Row G to take in Lin-Manuel Mirandas hip-hop-flavored biography about the first U.S. treasury secretary, a night that had athletic gold meeting theatrical gold.I thought you were amazing, Raisman told Tony Award-nominee Brandon Victor Dixon, who just happened to be making his debut appearance replacing Tony Award-winner Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr.Gymnastics is my favorite Olympic sport, hands-down. Since the days of Kim Zmeskal, Ive been about the U.S. gymnastics team. So, I love these ladies. Im so proud of them. I worship them. I think theyre amazing and I got so hyped when I heard they were in the audience tonight, Dixon said.The U.S. womens team won gold while also winning its second straight Olympic title and third overall. The team won a total of nine medals, including a record-tying four gold medals for Biles.The women had to rush through Times Square -- at one point virtually sprinting through the crowds -- to get to the theater in time after taping The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at Rockefeller Plaza.Rhonda Faehn, senior vice president of USA Gymnastics womens program, said adding Hamilton to their busy post-Olympic schedule was an opportunity of a lifetime. WWhile they were in Rio, Biles coach would blast the Hamilton cast album for the athletes.dddddddddddd. It was just meant to be, Faehn said.The cast and crew took turns taking photos with the athletes after the show and Renee Elise Goldsberry, who plays Angelica Schuyler, brought her young daughter to meet the so-called Final Five. Goldsberry and her fellow Schuyler sisters -- Lexi Lawson and Jasmine Cephas Jones -- then posed for a photo with the five athletes, their hands in the air as they riffed off a lyric in the show by shouting Work!The show has been celebrated for putting African-American, Asian and Latinos at the center of Americas birth and the U.S. Olympic team is a mix of races and ethnicities -- black, white, Latina, Jewish.Theyre just like tiny versions of us, said Okieriete Onaodowan, who plays both Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. Its amazing but its also remarkable what theyre doing, just to be able to perform and not choke under that pressure. At a young age, to be able to perform that way and keep your cool? Im totally impressed.The night before, the Broadway cast welcomed U.S. swimmer Maya DiRado, who won two golds, a silver and bronze at Rio. She brought both of her gold medals to the show to share with the cast. She and the Final Five join a long list of celebrities at Hamilton including Beyonce, Kanye West, Bill Clinton, Julia Roberts, Eli Manning, Dave Matthews and Andre 3000.---Online: http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com---Mark Kennedy can be reached at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits ' ' '