The NBA is reportedly in the preliminary stages of exploring the viability of shortening its regular season schedule, which is currently set at 82 games.
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN shared Wednesday that the NBA “might use its 75th anniversary season as an opportunity to test some of its bolder initiatives — not only a mid-season cup and postseason play-in tournament, but also a reduction in the 82-game regular season schedule.”
He noted that “those with knowledge of the conversation, which sources regard as very exploratory, the proposed reforms would be adopted initially as a pilot program.”
The committee discussed a change in regular season games that ranged from 58 games to just a handful. Arovitz reports that there isn’t a big appetite for a major change, however.
The NBA season, as it stands right now, does feel too long and drawn out. Especially given the fact that there just aren’t that many true championship-caliber squads out there. Top teams tend to just cruise for large swaths of the regular season before turning it on late in the year to prepare for the playoffs.
In truth, the regular season has gotten boring. Making a change that adds a sense of urgency to every game, and that potentially includes some in-season tournaments, could be a step in the right direction.
