For The Love of The Game
Miami Heat’s Josh McRoberts dunks the ball against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. (Jim Rassol/Sun Sentinel/MCT)
This NBA off-season, there have been some huge blockbuster deals and events.
For one, LeBron James, widely considered the best player in the NBA, decided to right his past wrongs and go back to Cleveland to play for his hometown Cavaliers.
There was also the NBA draft, which gave Sixers fans some more hope for the upcoming basketball season. The Sixers drafted a great center, Joel Embiid, and made some other stellar picks and trades, such as receiving Dario Saric.
But one thing that has commonly gone unnoticed is that the NBA is considering shortening the length of each quarter from 12 minutes to 11 minutes.
Some people, including myself, consider basketball games to be too long. There is no real action until the late 4th quarter. This will enhance the action that takes place in most NBA games. Also, since there is less time in each game, all players will subsequently be less likely to get injured.
This will keep the great players that us fans love watching on the court and away from the sidelines. Yes, the scores will be lower, but who really cares if the game is 88-84 rather than 102-98? Either way, the superior team will prevail.
However, there may be some disadvantages. The tickets will have to be cheaper because the fans would be seeing less of the game, so teams will in turn make lower revenue from sales. This could create problems, but the effect of losing just four minutes would not be major.
The players will most likely not be in favor of this. They’re playing the game they love, right? So they will not want a new rule robbing them of game time.
I think that shortening the quarters from 12 minutes to 11 minutes is a good thing for the NBA. It will add excitement to the game, with lower scores and therefore closer, more intense games. This also protects the players from injuries. With less time, they receive more rest and are generally healthier.
It will also allow the NBA to save some money because the expenses that they are paying for, such as refs, will have been cut down because of less working time. Without doubt, this will carry a magnificent effect for the NBA. The NBA will be able to cut expenses on various commodities, which will supply them with more spending money. So as the opening tip of the 2014 NBA season looms, what do you think?
