Less minutes, more action-packed plays… NBA action is  about to go 0-100, real quick.
With preseason action underway, the NBA is constantly coming up with ways to make the game more competitive, more fun to watch and most importantly, more lucrative. Expect a new experience put into action as soon as this week when the competition committee are planning to lessen the minutes of games played. Starting this upcoming Sunday when the Brooklyn Nets go up against the Boston Celtics, the NBA will experiment with a 44-minute length game, a change from the typical 48-minute length regulation game.
Since the NBA renewed TV deals with Turner Sports and ESPN that will expire in the 2024-2025, experts are concerned about the advertising influence this change can have on corporations. Many believe that even though there will be a slight chance of less commercial breaks, the viewing experience should be the same. President of NBA basketball operations Rod Thorn gave his perspective about it to USA Today. He was quoted:
We have looked at everything that we do and are taking a fresh look at all the different things we do. One of the things that keeps coming up is our schedule and the length of our games. … Our coaches talked about it, and a lot of them seemed to be in favor of at least taking a look at it. We talked with our competition committee, and they were in favor of taking a look at it. …
… Let’s get some empirical evidence regarding this and take a fresh look at it.
Fans may now have the possibility to see more of their favorite NBA players potentially play in more regular season due to the lessened likelihood of injuries being committed. Let’s just hope San Antonio Spurs coach  Greg Poppovich can let Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli see more action instead of the random “nights off” to rest their bodies.
