The NBA said that the idea to "test a shorter game during the preseason came up at a recent coaches’ meeting," as the length of games "has become an urgent consumer issue, particularly as leagues in recent years have introduced new technologies that bring more accuracy to officiating at the cost of precious minutes and seconds," according to Andrew Keh of the N.Y. TIMES. The Celtics and Nets will play a 44-minute preseason game on Sunday at Barclays Center -- four minutes shorter than a standard NBA game. NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said that the league’s competition committee "is seeking preliminary data to analyze how a shorter contest would compare with the current 48-minute format." Keh notes pro leagues, particularly MLB, "have been looking at ways to quicken their games and keep fans engaged." Though the NBA "has not drawn as much criticism for the length of its games, it has prided itself on being a league willing to experiment with its product." MLB "appears to have the most egregious problem." But the NBA "has not been exempt from reproach." For one thing, the "stop-and-start nature of late-game situations -- when the flow of play can devolve into a tedious string of fouls, free throws and timeouts -- has long been under the microscope" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/15). In Boston, Gary Washburn noted the Celtics and Nets game on Sunday "will play 11-minute quarters, with two mandatory timeouts per period instead of the customary three in the second and fourth quarters." Coaches for both teams "appear intrigued by the idea." Celtics coach Brad Stevens: "I appreciate the NBA’s long history of forward thinking and willingness to try new ideas." Nets coach Lionel Hollins: "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" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/15).
CHANGE IS GOOD: USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt writes while there is "no suggestion yet that the NBA is headed to making this permanent," it nonetheless "strengthens the notion that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is open to ideas that challenge the status quo." The NBA's "willingness to explore the impact" of a shortened game "should not be minimized." The league "doesn't make these moves lightly, and there's a chance the NBA will experiment with 44-minute games next preseason and in the NBA Development League, which is often used [as] a testing ground for new concepts" (USA TODAY , 10/15). In N.Y., Filip Bondy writes there "isn't a sportswriter alive who doesn’t want the games to get shorter and the deadlines to grow longer, so there will be no disagreement here about the experiment going on in Brooklyn." But there "is no way the righteous statistical purists allow the NBA to fiddle with the number of minutes per game." Coaches "are right to worry about the total minutes that may lead to cumulative injury problems for their players." But from a spectator’s point of view, "actual playing minutes aren’t the problem." Bondy: "Fans enjoy the action. What they hate, more than anything, are the timeouts that wreck the ends of games" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/15).
NOT EVERYONE ON BOARD: Trail Blazers G CJ McCollum said of the concept, "I hate it." In Portland, Mike Tokito noted McCollum "most bluntly summed up the team's reaction" to the idea. Coach Terry Stotts: "You've got a large roster, and 240 minutes of playing time is already a little short." G Steve Blake: "My first thought is, I don't necessarily like it. It's been the way it is for quite a while now" (OREGONLIVE.com, 10/14). Pacers coach Frank Vogel: "I see why they are doing it ... but personally I don't really like it. I don't have enough minutes to get all my guys enough minutes to keep them happy. ... That's going to make my job a lot harder" (USA TODAY , 10/15). ESPN's Pablo Torre said, "The preferable experiment was already run and that's a 66-game lockout shortened season" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 10/14). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said, "I love it." But Wilbon noted it "doesn't address" the issue that there are "too many games." Wilbon: "I wouldn't mind seeing four teams cut but that's not going to happen either" ("PTI," ESPN, 10/14). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said, “I love that they are experimenting with it, but they are missing it. It's not that their games are too long, their seasons are too long. You can't shorten the game. It would make every record that you've ever had, all scoring records and all that would become completely obsolete” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 10/15).
