NBA: Shortened Game The Same For Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets

By Ed Carroll | Oct 20, 2014

Mar 21, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) during the first quarter of a game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets participated in a much-debated experimental NBA game last night, but the two teams didn’t notice much of a difference with 11-minute quarters and two fewer timeouts.

For all the hoopla and hand-wringing, the guys playing in a shortened NBA preseason game last night didn’t seem to notice the changes much at all. The Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets, 95-90, but the score was secondary to the length of the game — one hour and 58 minutes, approximately 15-30 minutes shorter than a regular NBA game, thanks to 11-minute quarters and fewer timeouts.

More from Boston Celtics

“I didn’t notice a difference at all,” Nets guard Joe Johnson said. “I think it’s pretty much the same. If you’re playing the same amount of minutes, it doesn’t really matter.”

Nets coach Lionel Hollins mostly agreed with Johnson’s sentiments regarding the experimental format, though he added reserves would actually play less thanks to the shortened game.

“I looked up there and we were already to the first timeout,” Hollins said. “That was kinda surprising. That was the only time it seemed like it was quicker, but other than that, I didn’t really notice.”

Regular NBA games feature four 12-minute quarters, and two more timeouts (mandatory ones in the second and fourth quarters) than this experimental game had, and halftime was a minute shorter as well. It’s not close to becoming the norm in the NBA, but was tested because the league thinks it could be more condusive to television broadcasts and lessen the huge number of minutes many NBA players log yearly, and could theoretically save players approximately seven games in minutes.

But for one game, the shortened quarters didn’t seem to have much of an effect.

“You noticed it a little bit when you are subbing at the start of quarters,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I didn’t notice it other than that … I didn’t notice it a whole lot, and I don’t know how much impact it had on the game.”

More from Boston Celtics

Home/Boston Celtics