As the NBA marks the 50th anniversary of its first 82-game season, Commissioner Adam Silver is giving indications that a shorter schedule is under consideration.
The league wants to expand its international exposure, possibly with an overseas franchise, which would mean longer flights and a greater physical toll on the players. The tradeoff may be fewer regular-season games to give teams more time to recover from intercontinental travel.
“There’s nothing magical about 82 games,” Silver told Sam Amick of USA Today. “It’s been in place for 50 years, but for the long-term planning of the league, as we learn more about the human body and the wear and tear of travel and the competitive landscape … invariably we’ll look at the regular season. And in looking at the regular season, it may create more opportunities for international franchises.”
Before the formation of the NBA in 1946, professionals used to play a schedule similar to college teams, with a few dozen games each year. The new league started with 11 teams each playing 60 games, explains Stayton Bonner of slate.com, then cut that to seven teams and 48 games in its second season. Eventually the owners settled on 82 for the 1967-68 season because it gave teams three games a week for roughly half the year.
But as Silver says, that number isn’t set in stone. Owners saw it as a level where ticket revenues would cover team salaries without creating too much of an injury risk for the players. The number has endured for five decades, but there’s no reason it can’t be changed if circumstances warrant it.
Yeah how about no leave it how it is or dont play at all.
I don’t see the players union approving overseas franchises.
Changing the number of games matters less to records in basketball because people generally only keep track of averages, not totals. The only total-type standard in basketball that is memorable is when a high-schooler goes over 1000 points career.
BTW people should stop using decimal points in basketball statistics. That level of precision accomplishes nothing!
Basketball players are such babies. Baseball has a 162 game season and you don’t hear them whining
Baseball players dont even run.
Have you ever watched baseball?
They jog
They stand around 5/6 of the time…… oh sorry, and the crouch for every pitch.
I don’t think the 82 game season is as “sacred” as the 162 game baseball season because season long records in basketball are not as important in basketball. That being said, I really don’t think the season needs to be shorter.
Superstar players are making $40 million a year. Asking them to work 3 or 4 days a week is not that much. They are not going to get much sympathy from a factory worker that works just as physically 5-6 days a week for a very small fraction of the pay. Suck it up and just work.
Playing less games has nothing to do with the players wanting to work less. It’s about quality over quantity and making a better product. The intensity of regular season major conference regular season games is on a whole other level than NBA. With an 82 game season, 15 to 20 games a year don’t matter.
Besides, most players don’t want to play less. Nowadays the coaches are convincing players to rest save themselves for the playoffs.
A lot of games also become meaningless because over half the league makes the playoffs.
I meant major conference college basketball intensity.
I don’t really care either way about the length of the season. It’s fine the way it is but if it got shorter that would be fine too. Quality is what matters. The number of games does not.
Wiggy sez contracts for suckas.
… And close enough counts.
[<<<this way to Wiggins' page<<<]
This changes the meaning of perennial 50-win team. I guess the season win/loss will no longer be relevant to anything from the 82 game era.
This will honestly detach modern basketball from historic basketball in some ways and it may not seem important but I really don’t like it. Eliminate the preseason or turn the All-Star Break into an actual break before you start cutting out on-record games.
Yeah and no one will ever top the Warriors 73-9.
very well said! even now the statistics are not very useful to compare achievements in different eras but if you shorten the season any past statistics would be totally useless :/
and of course no old records would be ever beaten again so watching nba would get a bit more boring :p
I work 345 days a year and make nowhere near as much as these guys do . And they’re talking about shortening the season ? Please……
damn even ants use the web now :o
So they had limited 4 in 5 nights to 1 last year and got rid of a bunch if back to backs, but that w asnt good enough…
This year, they eliminated 4 games in 5 nights altogether, and only have 14 back to backs…they got rid of half the preseason as well…meanwhile, travel is easier than it has ever been for these guys
Now they want to still shorten the season? Ridiculous. Karl Malone is rolling over in his grave right now. Kevin Garnett is rolling over in his grave right now. What a joke. Shortening the season would mean they’d have to significantly alter the revenue situation, meaning that guys would have to have their contracts restructured. Can’t get paid for full seasons if that isn’t the case anymore. Also, historically, it would mess with statistics. Personally, I have a serious issue with the idea of shortening the season. It doesn’t make any sense at all whatsoever. I couldn’t even get past the commissioner’s 1st sentence
You are aware a person has to be dead to “roll over in their grave.” Right?
Lol it was a joke, obviously…