NBA . . . SWISH! THEY'RE THROUGH LABOR HOOPS

Baseball and hockey may be throwing up bricks, but the NBA isn't: Owners and players announced a temporary agreement today to play the season under a no-strike, no-lockout pledge while negotiating a new collective bargaining deal. This means that even though the players don't have a contract, the basketball season starts November 4. The key issue in the talks -- just as it is throughout pro sports -- is the players' salary cap: The owners want to close loopholes in cap rules, while the players are trying to abolish the cap, adopted in 1983.