NBA commissioner Adam Silver has come out with a new development after saying that he likes the idea of shortening games to 40 minutes by having 10 minute quarters instead of 12.
“As we get more involved in global basketball, the NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes. And I would be — I am — a fan of four 10-minute quarters,” Silver said on The Dan Patrick Show. “I’m not sure that many others are. Putting aside what it means for records and things like that, yeah, I think that a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits.”
Silver added, “I think of a television program being two hours, Olympic basketball being two hours. And college basketball, of course, is 40 minutes.”
NBA games have gone for an average of 2hr 16 mins – the same as they have the last 15 seasons (2:15, according to data from ESPN Research).
Silver also shared that other new changes had been mentioned, such as awarding two free throws to shooters who are fouled on 3-point attempts.
There would certainly be positives to shortening the games, like stars potentially playing more minutes and fans being more engaged, but it also mean that single-game and single-season records would be extremely difficult to break.
Nuggets championship coach Michael Malone was asked about potential changes the league might implement in the future and he’s not a fan.
“I give the league credit, because they’re always trying to find ways to keep the fans engaged,” Malone said. “But I hope we don’t go to 10-minute quarters. I hope we don’t put in a 4-point line. I hope we don’t become Barnum & Bailey, or do whatever we have to do to keep viewership. Because there’s a greatness and a history to this game, and a purity to this game that I hope we can find a way to stay true to.”
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