New York: After two days of mild optimism, NBA labour negotiations ran into bruising reality.

The body language of the key figures said it all after talks between owners and players broke off on Thursday, ending a three-day run in which 30 hours of discussions took place in New York with the attempted help of federal mediator George Cohen.NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver and San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt glumly assessed the damage at a news conference that was followed minutes later by an angry rebuttal from the players' union. A bad day for the NBA and its fans. "We're saddened on behalf of the game," Silver said. No further discussions were scheduled.