David Stern has stepped up his words as the NBA gets closer and closer to a lockout.

"If July 1 comes and there is a lockout, the union will have made a mistake of epic proportions," Stern said.

"If we can't get a deal done, it'll be a new game," he said.

He said the sides remain apart on issues of drug testing, an age limit and the maximum length of multiyear contracts, among other issues, although he said that the owners have changed their proposal on contract lengths several times.

"What I derive [from Stern's comments Sunday night] is that we'll be meeting for sure before June 30," Hunter said, adding that there were several other concessions the owners are seeking that Stern did not mention.