NBA Will Test Out 44-Minute Game In Preseason
The National Basketball Association announced in an official release today that their preseason game on Sunday, October 19 between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets will be a 44-minute contest with 11-minute quarters. The league is experimenting with a shortened game compared to the usual 48 minutes of 12-minute quarters.
From NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn:
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. 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.
From Nets head coach Lionel Hollins:
When this idea came up at the coaches’ meeting, I thought it was a unique experiment that was worth participating in. 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.
And from Celtics head coach Brad Stevens:
I appreciate the NBA’s long history of forward thinking and willingness to try new ideas. 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 October 19.
These two coaches seem at least open enough to the concept. Shortening each quarter by one minute may or may not feel like an adjustment for the players, but I imagine more so for the fans and coaches. As Coach Hollins alluded to, managing minutes and substitutions might feel affected by the shortened time frame. It certainly affects the flow of the game in terms of TV time out ratios and so forth, which was explained thoroughly in the release.
If you want to observe the experiment for yourself, the Nets face the Celtics in preseason action this Sunday at 3:00 PM EST on NBA TV.
