NEWS » Despite the two-goal third period

From Cleveland to China, the message was clear on Wednesday: There is real hope of the NBA and its players getting a new labor deal done in the coming weeks.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the league and its players will resume discussions on a new deal next week. Those meetings will be a prequel to the leagues Board of Governors session in New York on Oct. 20 and 21, where the labor talks will surely be very high on Silvers agenda of things to review with the full ownership.Why wouldnt I be optimistic about it? Cleveland star LeBron James said. First of all, Im a player who loves the game and I see how our league is steamrolling right now. Ive been a part of this league for 14 years and Ive had one stoppage of play and it wasnt good for both sides. Over the last couple of years, Ive seen our league grow more and more and more, so why wouldnt I be optimistic about it?In Beijing, where he was attending the NBA Global Games, Silver said he would return to the U.S. on Thursday -- and then planned to pick up where talks left off. He said he has been meeting with union representatives, including union head Michele Roberts and president Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as owners who are on the negotiating committee.Both sides have been very engaged and eager to get a deal done, Silver said.The mere mention of optimism makes these talks considerably different than the often-dysfunctional discourse that went on five years ago, when the league and its players were so far apart that the 2011-12 season wound up getting shortened from 82 games per team to 66 -- the result of a 161-day lockout that wounded both sides.Either side can opt out of the existing 10-year contract in December. But with both sides in deal-making mode, a new deal could come before that.Nobody wants to have a lockout, Miami guard Goran Dragic said. I dont want to sit down at home and do nothing. I want to play basketball and hopefully the players union and the league are going to make a decision and that decision is going to be good for everybody. So far, its looking good so hopefully well make a deal.Dragic said players are being briefed regularly by the union on the status of talks.More money than ever is now flowing into the league, thanks to the new $24 billion television contract. And with salary caps now higher than ever and expected to continue to rise, its hard to envision why either side would want a work stoppage.Just being on the Players Association, having the opportunity to talk to the owners, talk to our commissioner, things seem optimistic, said James, who has had a regular dialogue with Silver about several issues -- such as scheduling of back-to-back games and the desire for a longer All-Star break, which the league now has.But you still have negotiations, so you know, you never know what could happen from that, James said. But optimistic means I feel optimistic about it. Theres no reason for me not to.Silver and Roberts even met recently in Spain, when she was accompanying the Oklahoma City Thunder for their preseason trip there. Thats another example of how talks now look in no way like the talks in 2011, when neither side was shy about expressing a level of mistrust with the other.Miami forward Justise Winslow said hes following the talks closely, and acknowledged that hes a bit worried about what another lockout next summer may do to the game.We dont want to be jobless, Winslow said. So we worry about it, a little bit. Its not like guys are worrying about it too much, but we would like to have that job security. We make a lot of money, but its just the principle of the matter. Part of it is the money aspect, part of it is we love the game and we just want to play.---Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant contributed from Beijing. Krawczynski reported from Minneapolis. Reynolds reported from Miami. Discount Swell Bottles . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Marble Water Bottle Cheap . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. http://www.swellbottlesale.com/swell-travelers-sale.html . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Swell Bottle Wood . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Swell Bottle Wood Collection . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals open a three-game homestand Thursday night the same way they ended their four-game Western Canada road swing -- by facing the Winnipeg Jets.Forward Jay Beagle salvaged the road finale Tuesday night, scoring the winning goal with 30 seconds left in the third period to give the Capitals a 3-2 win at MTS Centre.Washington (6-2-1) had allowed only three third-period goals all season before the Jets (4-6) tallied twice in the third to tie it, setting up Beagles heroics.They came at us with a real intense effort. Were going to have to match their intensity, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said of Thursdays rematch.Well have to manage the game a little better. If we play on our toes a little bit better and play with the same urgency that they had, then we should be fine.After losing the first game of the road trip, Trotz shuffled his lines and the Capitals have won three straight. Forward Marcus Johansson, playing on the second line with center Evgeny Kuznetsov and forward Tom Wilson, scored Washingtons second goal in Tuesdays win and has five tallies in the past three games.Hes playing with a lot of confidence, Trotz said. and that line seems to have a little bit of chemistry. Theyve scored probably -- it seems like -- 90 percent of our goals in our last two games.Capitals goalie Braden Holtby faced 45 shots, something Beagle said Washington needs to fix Thursday night.Holts had to stand on his head to give us that 2-0 lead. BBeagle said.dddddddddddd Its something that were going to obviously address and look at tape. I think theyve got a lot of speed. They like to come at you in waves and they definitely feed off turnovers, so weve got to get it behind them and make sure were playing in their end.The Jets look to bounce back after tying Tuesdays game with 2:25 remaining, only to lose a potential point or more in the final minute.(What) you take from it and all is not fair in this league and just try to replicate that game on Thursday night, Blake Wheeler said. Weve played pretty well here recently and were pretty happy with how our games going. Its a pretty good hockey club over there -- theyre expected to have a lot of success this year -- and we belonged out there.Despite the two-goal third period, the Jets have scored just four goals in their last three games.Its been really frustrating. Weve had some looks, Wheeler said. Weve had some offensive zone time. It just hasnt resulted in goals.Winnipeg hopes the late rally, and not the result, carries over into Thursday night.We know we have a solid team in here and we played real good against a real good team, Adam Lowry said. Coming back from two goals against a team like that just shows we can compete with anyone, I think. ... Well look back and just try to get back on the right track in Washington. ' ' '