Jason Smith and Mike Harmon react to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s recent proposal to shorten NBA games by reducing the length of each quarter from 12 minutes to 10 minutes. The idea has sparked a lot of debate, with the guys weighing in on whether this change would be beneficial or detrimental to the league. They explore the potential impact on the flow of the game, player performance, and fan experience. Is it a step toward making the sport more exciting and manageable, or would it negatively affect the game’s integrity? The guys also dive into whether such a change could actually be implemented, given the history and tradition of the 12-minute quarters. Could we see this shift in the near future, or is it just another experiment that won’t come to fruition?
Jason Smith:
“The NBA has reached a point where they’re just throwing ideas out there to see what sticks. I get it when it’s for the All-Star game, because every league does that. But the NBA is at a point now where all the big ideas that could actually help are just too big to ever go through.”
Mike Harmon:
“The idea that, ‘Hey, the rest of the world does it this way,’ doesn’t mean it’s right. You’re America, damn it! You’re the NBA! YOU ARE THE LEADERS OF THIS SPACE—everyone else is envious of what you’ve built. It’s not like, ‘Oh, you went to the US to play in the NBA as a last resort.’ You’re the league of legends, and now you’re talking about cutting 16% of your playing time?”