44 Minutes?…. C’mon now!!

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As everyone probably knows, the NBA experimented with a 44 minute, (4, 11 minute quarters) game this past Sunday when The Nets played the Celtics in Brooklyn. The experimental game ended in a time of 1 hour and 58 minutes, approximately 15-20 minutes shorter than an average 48 minute NBA game. OK, Mr. Silver, the experiment is over, now let’s put this idea to bed for good.

Point #1: The NBA has the shortest game of the 4 major sports, by far. An average game is 2:15. Compare that to the others and it is on average 45 minutes shorter….so what’s the rush? Is the league trying to see if the product would fit nicely into a 2 hour time frame for TV?

Point #2: The Players Union would NEVER sign off on it. Less minutes= more PT for the rotation players= less time for the bench players= less minutes for the bench guys= less stats for the bench guys= fewer leverage at the negotiating table for the bench guys because they will have decreased stats, upon which contracts are frequently determined. It could also mean fewer jobs, with the probability of the roster being cut by one spot, which would equal 30 jobs lost.

Point #3: If the concern of the league is to shorten the game time, they should start by shortening the length of the replay observations that occur during the game. With the technology available, a video review should NOT take up to 3 minutes, which they frequently do.

Point #4: Have the officials toss a jump ball correctly so they do not have to re-toss.

Point #5: All timeouts under the 2:00 minute mark of the 4th quarter will be 30 second time outs. I know this would cut into the commercial time and a revenue reduction, but if the intent is to shorten the game, reduce the time of a T.O. in the last two minutes.

Point #6: Shorten the half time by 2-3 minutes. Rarely is the case that the teams/ coaches/ players need the full amount that is currently allowed. Guys spend the last 5 minutes of half time in lay up lines anyway, so reduce it by 2 minutes. They really don’t need the extra lay up reps.

C’mon now…. we have a GREAT game, and very near perfect for TV…. let’s leave it be…. 48 is untouchable!

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