NBA experimenting with 44-minute game in preseason
The NBA will test a 44-minute game during an Oct. 19 preseason matchup between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, the league announced in a press release.
Standard NBA games are 48 minutes, but the league said it wants to compare the "flow" of a 44-minute game to a 48-minute contest. Quarters, typically 12 minutes each, will be 11 minutes.
From the NBA's press release:
“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,” said NBA President, Basketball Operations Rod Thorn. “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.”
NBA games have been 48 minutes since the inception of the league in 1946.
• WOO: The most anticipated NBA debuts
Under the 44-minute format, each quarter will have two mandatory timeouts, while in a standard-length game the second and fourth quarters have three mandatory timeouts. A mandatory timeout occurs if neither team has taken a timeout within a certain period of the game.
The two teams will meet at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said that he appreciates the league's "long history of forward thinking and willingness to try new ideas," according to the league's release.
The NBA's Faces in New Places
LeBron James
Mark Duncan/AP
Kevin Love
Chris Covatta/NBAE via Getty Images
Chandler Parsons
Tony Gutierrez/AP
Thaddeus Young
Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
Pau Gasol
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Isaiah Thomas
Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Lance Stephenson
Michael Perez/AP
Trevor Ariza
Tony Gutierrez/AP
Luol Deng
Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images
Jose Calderon
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Darren Collison
Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Spencer Hawes
John W. McDonough/SI
Paul Pierce
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Tyson Chandler
Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
Jeremy Lin
John W. McDonough/SI
Omer Asik
Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images
Vince Carter
Mark Humphrey/AP
Rodney Stuckey
Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
Shaun Livingston
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Danny Granger
Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images
Nets head coach Lionel Hollins also lauded the experiment.
"When this idea came up at the coaches’ meeting, I thought it was a unique experiment that was worth participating in," said Nets Head Coach Lionel Hollins. "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.”
The Nets and Celtics will also meet Oct. 29 in Boston to open each team's 2014-15 regular season.
• MAHONEY: Injuries to Durant, Beal challenge Thunder and Wizards at season outset
- Stanley Kay
