Thursday was the last straw, the end for those who believed this was a negotiation -- a hard-nosed one, to be sure, but a negotiation -- between two worthy adversaries, each looking for the best possible deal for themselves, but ultimately willing to make a deal. Thursday came and went, and at the end of 30 hours of negotiations that were finally, painstakingly bringing the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association toward a deal that would finally end this damnable lockout, there was, for some unfathomable reason, no deal. No further talks were scheduled and there was no more George Cohen, the mediator who just a day before had publicly expressed optimism at how well things were going. Thursday came and went, and it was clear that the NBA's owners were determined to get everything. (MORE>>>)