National Basketball Association (NBA) owners and players continued their last-ditch labour dispute talks in New York on Wednesday well after commissioner David Stern's deadline had passed.
Stern had set a 17:00 ET (2200 GMT) deadline for players to accept his latest offer -- or get a worse deal on the table -- but there was no halt to the negotiations after more than nine hours of discussion at a Manhattan hotel.
If the stalemate is not broken, yet more games of this already delayed season could be cancelled but hope has not been lost that a deal can be struck to end a protracted lockout that began on July 1.
The league has offered the players between 49 and 51 percent of basketball-related income, though NBA Players Association officials claim they have no chance of receiving more than 50.2 percent. The players have offered to come down to 52.5 percent.
Stern has said that offer would switch to 53-47 in favor of the owners unless an agreement is reached on Wednesday.
The union says it is willing to move close to the owners on the revenue split but wants to see the same in return on 'system issues', mainly relating to the salary cap system.
"The current offer that is on the table from the NBA is not one that we can accept," said union president Derek Fisher after a meeting with player representatives on Tuesday.
"Our orders are also clear that we're willing to continue to negotiate and we are willing to continue discussions on potential compromises on our economics for some continued improvements in the system."
The owners claim the NBA lost $300 million last season with 22 of its 30 teams in the red and they have demanded a reduction in the players' share of income which was 57 percent under the prior deal and they also want a firm salary cap and shorter contracts.
The league has cancelled all games up until the end of November and there are fears that Christmas games could come under threat if a deal is not reached promptly.
Stern was blunt in his response to news of the union's stance on his offer.
"Our proposal on the table now goes away. Our next proposal will then go to the players, and we will see where negotiations go," he said.
