Lockout season comes to an end

Christmas will come with an added present for professional basketball fans this season, as the dispute between the players and owners was settled last Saturday. The negotiations ended a lockout period of 149 days, and the season is expected to open on Christmas Day, December 25.

National Basketball Association players and owners had been negotiating for almost two years when the lockout began on June 30, 2011. The differences between the owners' proposal and the players' were too steep to find a consensus.

After the establishment of the lockout, many players tested the waters by signing contracts for overseas teams in places such as Europe and China. However, only a few actually continued the agreement, while many players decided against signing foreign contracts.

These NBA players who declined to sign foreign contracts decided to host scrim- mages, charity games, and other events that included scrimmages. Because the players did not know exactly when they

needed to be back into playing shape, many stayed quite active during the lockout period. Some players returned to their home cities and were seen playing pickup games at local high school gymnasiums or outdoor courts.

"Anything you can do to get your body ready before training camp will help," Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade said.

Wade had a few charity games scheduled before the end to the lockout was reached.

While teams are allowed to talk to potential free agents as early as this week, teams will not be able to offer contracts or sign players until December 9. After this date, free agency will be in full swing as teams prepare for the season opener on December 25. Instead of 3 games on Christmas Day, the NBA will host 5 regular season games to open the shortened 2011 season.

The new 66-game schedule will run from Christmas until April 26, 2012. The schedule includes 48 conference games and 18 non-conference games. Playoffs will run from April 28 until June 26, if necessary.

If the players had not accepted the latest proposal as they did, NBA Commissioner David Stern was poised to take action. He had threatened to impose his own law to preserve the season.

"I refuse to contemplate the loss of a season," Stern said. "It's going to be too painful for the players and the owners alike. But we'll still be here, we'll pick up the pieces and do the best we can under the circumstances. But that's not an eventuality that I anticipate or look forward to. It's all in the hands of the players."

However, the players did agree and the result is an NBA season which will arrive just in time for Christmas.

The closest NBA franchise to Springfield is located in Oklahoma City, Okla. The OKC Thunder had a record of 55-27 last season and lost in the Western Conference Finals to the NBA Champion, the Dallas Mavericks.

Kevin Durant, the Thunder's all-star leader, expressed his joy about finally getting to play this season via Twitter:

"Mannnn im bouta to get a ratchet tattoo on my ribs that say ‘survived the NBA lockout in 2011."