NEW YORK -- The NBA is going to evaluate if a shorter game could be a better one.
The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics will play a 44-minute preseason game Sunday as the league tests a format that features fewer minutes and fewer mandatory timeouts.
The contest will be four minutes shorter than the NBA's standard 48-minute game. The league said Tuesday that the preseason game will feature four 11-minute quarters, one minute shorter than normal.
Acting on a suggestion by coaches to tighten up the games, the league will use the matchup at Barclays Center to examine if the shorter model flows better.
No long-term changes are currently being considered, but shorter games could be a way to keep players healthier, since there are no plans to shorten the season.
"At our recent coaches' meeting, we had a discussion about the length of our games, and it was suggested that we consider experimenting with a shorter format," Rod Thorn, the NBA's president of basketball operations, said in a statement. "After consulting with our Competition Committee, we agreed to allow the Nets and Celtics to play a 44-minute preseason game in order to give us some preliminary data that will help us to further analyze game-time lengths."
There will be two mandatory timeouts per quarter. One will come at the first dead ball under 6:59 of the period if neither team has taken a timeout prior, and the second will be triggered by the first dead ball under 2:59 if neither team has taken a timeout since the first mandatory timeout.
There are three mandatory timeouts in the second and fourth quarters of the 48-minute game.
A 44-minute game would bring the NBA closer to college and international play, where the games are 40 minutes. It also would add up to 328 less minutes over the course of an 82-game season, which would translate to about seven fewer games.
But it would create some challenges for coaches.
"I'm looking forward to gauging its impact on the flow of the game. Since there is a shorter clock, it affects playing time, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays into substitution patterns," Nets coach Lionel Hollins said.
Hollins called it a "unique experiment that was worth participating in," and Boston coach Brad Stevens agreed.
"I appreciate the NBA's long history of forward thinking and willingness to try new ideas," Stevens said. "We told the NBA that we'd be happy to participate in this trial during a preseason game. I look forward to experiencing it and continuing the dialogue after Oct. 19."
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35812 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 12:31 pm Post subject:
A better change would be to cut the number of regular season games from 82 to 66. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
A better change would be to cut the number of regular season games from 82 to 66.
This.
I like the 44 minute game idea, though it really isn't the problem overall.
I also like the FIBA rule of no coach-initiated time outs in last 2 minutes. Can only be called on dead balls. Would turn a 2 minute game into about 5 minutes, instead of half an hour. _________________ From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals
A better change would be to cut the number of regular season games from 82 to 66.
That will never happen. More games = more $$.
But 4 fewer minutes per game means about 7 fewer games per season in terms of games played. So injuries may go down a bit, but no money is lost because fans will still pay the same amount to see what may very well be a higher-quality product.
Joined: 13 Apr 2001 Posts: 11882 Location: Looking outta the window, watching the asphalt grow ...
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 3:00 pm Post subject:
I'm starting to side with Chick Hearn in my older years: free throws ruin the game.
Officials have too much control, in general, and the penalty only exacerbates the point ... throw in the million or so national commercials (where the refs keep live action from resuming in order for commercials to end) and you have a huge mess, IMO of what used to be a game with the most beautiful flow of any sports.
A minute less per quarter isn't going to stop the refs FT parade. _________________ We back.
I don't mind long games. But I could see the benefits of fewer minutes on players.
I say keep the mandatory 3 time outs while reducing the game minutes. Give the players a little more rest.
They are going to have 8 mandatory timeouts in the new format as opposed to 6 in the current format. 2 per quarter, rather than 3 in the 2nd and 4th only.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35812 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 6:12 pm Post subject:
angrypuppy wrote:
Should help Dwight. He's been known to choke in the last few minutes. Maybe if you cut those last minutes off he'll finally win a championship.
No, he'll just have four fewer minutes in which to be effective. He will choke at the end of games regardless. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
If they want to make the game shorter than they should give teams the option of taking the ball out of bounds on non-shooting fouls when a team is over the bonus.
Give teams the ability to waive free throws and just maintain possession. Players fouled in the act of shooting get a free shot from where they were shooting when they were fouled in lieu of free throws. Have a room/monitor dedicated only to reviewing plays and take the responsibility of doing so from the floor refs so when a replay situation comes up the time wasted is minimized.
Give teams the ability to waive free throws and just maintain possession. Players fouled in the act of shooting get a free shot from where they were shooting when they were fouled in lieu of free throws. Have a room/monitor dedicated only to reviewing plays and take the responsibility of doing so from the floor refs so when a replay situation comes up the time wasted is minimized.
I like the ideas. If the league recognized intentional fouls, the end of games would be much quicker. Over the years, it has become perfectly acceptable to grab an opponent late in games while making no play on the ball. If they moved to one free throw + maintain possession, losing teams could no longer rely on the foul game.
I'm starting to side with Chick Hearn in my older years: free throws ruin the game.
Officials have too much control, in general, and the penalty only exacerbates the point ... throw in the million or so national commercials (where the refs keep live action from resuming in order for commercials to end) and you have a huge mess, IMO of what used to be a game with the most beautiful flow of any sports.
A minute less per quarter isn't going to stop the refs FT parade.
Call fewer fouls and the players will just hack each other more. Players take every inch they can get away with. They're not accidentally traveling, fouling, spending 3 seconds in the key, moving on screens, or going over the back. They're constantly pushing the limits of what they can get away with.
Besides, most fans are complaining that their players aren't getting enough free throws. Free throws are only an annoyance when the other team is shooting them.
At least the NBA is acknowledging the game has lost its flow over the past many years now. This is the second article I've now read discussing the NBA reviewing ideas to change the game format to improve flow. The other article was a few weeks back in which they are going to have the NBDL tinker with changes in free throw format dependent on foul type.
The game flow issue to me is a symptom of actual problems that the NBA really needs to address first:
Flopping - the impact it has on the way referees call the game is very obvious
Touch fouls on perimeter players - this increased in the late 90s as the NBA went away from the hand checking being allowed in an attempt to increase the speed of the game and scoring since fans like higher scoring games; I feel as though this has backfired resulting in longer running games
Mandatory timeouts - I doubt this will ever change since this is directly tied to ad revenue, but there are too many timeouts (have they increased the number of mandatory timeouts in the past decade because it certainly feels that way?) that last far too long - how about being honest and making time outs 20seconds and 2 minutes, or changing the names of them to be 90 seconds and 4 minutes as they often become.
I'm against it....for one people are going to pay more especially with this upcoming TV contract. So you mean we are going to pay much more money in tickets, and cable bills to see 4 minutes less basketball? The flow of the game could easily be improved if the refs didn't call a bunch of ticky tack fouls on flopping, etc...
I'm starting to side with Chick Hearn in my older years: free throws ruin the game.
Officials have too much control, in general, and the penalty only exacerbates the point ... throw in the million or so national commercials (where the refs keep live action from resuming in order for commercials to end) and you have a huge mess, IMO of what used to be a game with the most beautiful flow of any sports.
A minute less per quarter isn't going to stop the refs FT parade.
Call fewer fouls and the players will just hack each other more. Players take every inch they can get away with. They're not accidentally traveling, fouling, spending 3 seconds in the key, moving on screens, or going over the back. They're constantly pushing the limits of what they can get away with.
Besides, most fans are complaining that their players aren't getting enough free throws. Free throws are only an annoyance when the other team is shooting them.
the last 2 seasons have been the two fewest fouls called in non lockout years in the history of the nba, even if you pace adjust you're going back 50 years, but as you said, people are complaining that other teams are getting fouls. Things like flopping are a perception issue, but it doesn't determine games, so it's not a practical issue (like soccer has, where diving has won many games, even world cups), hence why the nba's policy is basically a perception of punishment (irony at its greatest tbh) _________________ I believe everything the media tells me except for anything for which I have direct personal knowledge, which they always get wrong
Joined: 13 Apr 2001 Posts: 11882 Location: Looking outta the window, watching the asphalt grow ...
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:17 am Post subject:
Treble Clef wrote:
Call fewer fouls and the players will just hack each other more. Players take every inch they can get away with. They're not accidentally traveling, fouling, spending 3 seconds in the key, moving on screens, or going over the back. They're constantly pushing the limits of what they can get away with.
Besides, most fans are complaining that their players aren't getting enough free throws. Free throws are only an annoyance when the other team is shooting them.
No, free throws stop game action. You can call the fouls ... like I said, this was Chick's view (that I never understood when I was younger) that I'm agreeing with more as I age.
The thing is, you and myself see things slightly differently ... you say the players are taking every inch they can get (and I agree, of course), however, I would add that they also are continually playing to the refs. I think they make a ton of phantom calls ... I honestly don't see player's going overboard with "hacking" it's far more overboard with flopping.
Teams practice "drawing" fouls and flopping.
Why?
Because the refs buy it.
I don't want to derail the thread but you mentioned 3 seconds and travelling and, I don't know about you, but those are routinely allowed and are sometimes called ... it's the inconsistency between games, quarters, possessions, teams, and arenas that's the problem.
For instance, the illegal screen is being called a little more during the preseason ... it's something I've clamored for, for years. But, like all the other points of emphasis the league tries to implement for integrity's sake, once the season starts, it will eventually go back to business as usual and by the playoffs, we won't be able to tell the difference. _________________ We back.
Lebron finally avoids that point in the game where he starts to choke, which is around the 44 minute mark. _________________ "Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money & position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold & contain life, but the quality of life doesn't change. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
I don't have anything against the idea, but I'm not sure many people will notice the difference when watching games. Reducing opportunities for timeouts would be better. I like how FIBA does it. _________________ ¡Hala Madrid!
I like how Lebron spoke for all players in the NBA about how they all doesn't like it... lol _________________ "Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money & position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold & contain life, but the quality of life doesn't change. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
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