The NBA is Shutting Down

The NBA finals two weeks ago could have been the league's last ones for a while.

NBA Commissioner David Stern is expected to impose a lockout at midnight on Thursday after talks deadlocked between the negotiators for the owners' and the players' union Thursday afternoon. The lockout means players and teams are not allowed to contact each other, paychecks and health insurance will be ceased immediately, and all other league business will be put on hold until owners and players can overcome their differences on matters including salary caps and shorter contracts. It's not known how long the NBA will remain at a standstill, but, if history is any indication, it could take months. In 1998, the league shut down for more than six months until a deal was reached.