12/18/24
May 31, 2023
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Jeff van Gundy has ideas on how to shorten NBA games:
- Eliminate free throws until the last four minutes of the game. If a player is fouled during a shot, give them the points. Same for technical fouls; the team is just awarded points.
The only person that likes free throws is a play-by-play announcer because they can wax poetically about some story. It's the extra point of the NBA. It serves no rational, reasonable purpose.
- Eliminate half time. Just give the teams a five minute time out for a bathroom break and a short meeting to reconfigure the game plan if one is wanted.
This whole idea of what goes on at halftime I think is so misunderstood. It's a lot of either praising what just happened or correcting. But you could do that in two minutes out by the bench in an elongated timeout.
posted by NoMich at 01:07 PM on May 31, 2023
Well those are some interesting suggestions. I don't know what the length of an average NBA game is, but have people been clamoring to shorten them a la MLB games? As for the suggestions themselves:
- Eliminating free throws feels like a radical change. Admittedly, my first reaction was "You can't just eliminate free throws!" but the more I think about it, the more I think "Why can't you?" - I can't imagine TV would go for eliminating half time, so I imagine this is a complete non-starter. I wonder, though, if players and other coaches would also be fine with a 5 minute break and then back at it, or if he's just speaking for himself?
posted by bender at 02:28 PM on May 31, 2023
The place I feel an NBA game is too long is the final four minutes. There are too many timeouts. Sometimes it drags so much I wish they used the Elam ending.
posted by rcade at 02:32 PM on May 31, 2023
Oddly enough, I feel like not having to endure JvG's incoherent claptrap ramblings about whatever random topic crosses his mind during game play would significantly increase my enjoyment of the sport.
Give me Hubie every evening and twice on Sundays.
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:39 PM on May 31, 2023
The costs of promotion. Luton Town will need to spend quite a bit of money on their stadium to meet Premier League standards.
NB: the story dates from just before they won the play off final.
posted by owlhouse at 09:22 PM on May 31, 2023
There have been times when the Celtics' Brad Stevens has seemed like an untouchable golden boy. No doubt other teams would like to have him running things.
But this season has raised questions about how well he's doing his job in the front office.
What if the C's ownership did something really bold and canned Stevens so they could bring in Bob Myers, who just stepped down from his post with the Warriors?
And let Myers start making bold moves of his own, including finding a Steve Kerr 2.0 to replace the overmatched Joe Mazzulla.
With the right person in charge, the right coach, and not overcommitting to Jaylen Brown, the Celtics might have something. The team feels sort of like a junior version of the Warriors when Mark Jackson was coaching them. Needing the right leadership to come in and unlock the full potential.
Oh, and sign an aging spiritual descendant of Maurice Lucas to suit up, sit on the bench, and serve as Tatum's backbone.