Shane Battier thinks a 60-game season would be perfect
By Mike Dyce
Former NBA player Shane Battier thinks a 60-game season would be ideal.
While there is a lot of discussin about the NFL extending the season beyond 16 games, there is discussion about shortening the NBA season. Specifically, former NBA player Shane Battier has come out and said that a 60-game season would be ideal.
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“Personally, I think a 60-game season would be perfect,” Battier said, via Pro Basketball Talk. “Every game matters more. You can’t sleepwalk through a few weeks of the season — it does happen — and then all of a sudden wake up near the All-Star break and turn it on. Fans just want to see the best basketball players in the world at their highest level going head-to-head.
“Every team has a certain number of throwaway games. You just know. You just know you’re not winning tonight. You don’t have it. And then after the game, coach knows it, everybody knows it, coach comes in, says ‘Alright, bring it in guys. We’ll get ‘em tomorrow. 1-2-3 team!’”
Former NBA coach Mike D’Antonio said the reason they play 82 games is because some one is making a lot of money. Stands to reason that there is some validity to that, if they had less games it could affect their broadcasting deals. Battier acknowledged that as well, saying he isn’t familiar with the financial side and that his perspective is purely from a competitive stand point.
“Obviously, the economics, that’s not my forte so I can’t figure that out,” he said. “But from a competitive standpoint, from a product standpoint, the game would be immensely better with 22 less games.”
It certainly might reel in some more casual viewers if there were less games to keep up with and watch.
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