David Stern. [Source:Sina.com]

National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern has set his sights on the regular season starting within 30 days as team owners and players prepare to resolve their labor dispute through mediation.

The NBA has already canceled its preseason and the first two weeks of the regular season because of the protracted lockout and the two sides are scheduled to meet with federal mediator George Cohen yesterday.

"We would push as hard as possible to be up and running in 30 days," Stern told CNN on Monday about his hopes for this week's negotiations.

Asked what would happen if no deal was reached, he replied: "We keep negotiating and we keep losing games in the calendar."

Stern had already identified yesterday as a potential make-or-break day.

"If there's a breakthrough, it's going to come on Tuesday," Stern said in an interview with NBA TV. "And if not, I think that the season is really going to potentially escape from us, because we aren't making any progress."

The league locked out players on July 1 after the two sides failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

The players last met with NBA officials a week ago in a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement.

When no deal was forthcoming, Stern canceled the first two weeks of the season, which was scheduled to begin on November 1.

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