NBA Tabs Nets, Celtics For Experimental 44-Minute Game
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Major League Baseball has started experimenting with the pace of its games.
It looks like the National Basketball Association wants in on the action, too.
The NBA announced Tuesday that it would test a 44-minute game -- shortening each quarter by one minute -- during an Oct. 19 preseason matchup between the Nets and Boston Celtics in Brooklyn.
"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," NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said in a statement.
Thorn said that with the blessing of the competition committee, the abbreviated game would give the league "some preliminary data that will help us to further analyze game-time lengths."
Nets head coach Lionel Hollins and Brad Stevens of the Celtics said both teams were happy to deviate -- for one night -- from the standard 48-minute game.
In addition to 11-minute quarters, Sunday's game will have only two mandatory timeouts in the second and fourth frames, down from three in a typical game.
"When this idea came up at the coaches' meeting, I thought it was a unique experiment that was worth participating in," Hollins said. "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."
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