Indiana Pacers Coach Doesn’t Want Shortened NBA Games

By Bryan Rose | Oct 15, 2014

May 28, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel and fans react during the fourth quarter in game five against the Miami Heat of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Miami 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel doesn’t want the NBA to shorten their games as is being tested.

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While the NBA is already experimenting with shorter games, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spolestra believes the bigger key to the NBA improving the health of their players is to cut games off the elongated 82-game regular season schedule.

How Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel feels about such is unknown, though he certainly doesn’t want to see the NBA shorten games as he told Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports.

“Personally, I don’t really like it,” the Indiana Pacers coach told media members. “I don’t have enough minutes to get all my guys enough minutes to keep them happy,” he said. “You’re going to take away four a game, that’s going to make my job harder.”

While that’s an understandable statement from Vogel, it comes across mildly selfish and doesn’t really seem like something the NBA would consider in regards to opposition as to why they shouldn’t make games shorter. Simply put, four less minutes a game adds up over the course of a season and would help reduce some of the injuries players are currently experiencing.

The NBA could also cut games off their schedule though stand to lose far more money in such a scenario in comparison to cutting minutes off a game as the league can make up for such with extended commercial breaks for advertising revenue.

Adding to Vogel’s point however, would a reduction in game minutes all but eliminate the need for that end of the bench player? We’ve seen teams get very frugal regarding the end of the bench and if that additional four minutes of time was taken off the game clock, would teams decide to keep cash in their pockets instead of handing it out to a fifteenth man?

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