Basketball is a game meant to be at its highest levels indoors. As the NCAA has taught us over the last few years, basketball that matters being played outdoors is a horrible idea, even if the purpose (to honor troops in the NCAA’s case) is good.
Of course having an NBA game outdoors would bring a ton of interest and money to the league, and in light of the NHL Winter Classic being such a success in Foxborough recently, the Boston Celtics are reportedly talking about playing a game outdoors in the future.
Per ESPN:
"Celtics president Rich Gotham told The Boston Globe on Monday that he has talked about the possibility with Boston Red Sox president Sam Kennedy.“I’ve gotten into it. I really like the idea,” Gotham told the Globe. “I think if you can find a way to sort of differentiate the game and make it fun for fans, that’s a great thing. And the Winter Classic certainly does that."
While everyone will agree that the basketball played in probably sub-optimal temperatures won’t be great, there are ways the game can transcend actual bad play and still be entertaining. While the game would have to be meaningless, preseason would be perfect and would probably fit in the schedule well, the NBA should embrace the playground roots where this idea comes from.
It would start with making sure that both baskets had the traditional park double rims, making shooters rolls actually impossible. Players are going to miss a crazy amount of shots anyway, so having a double rim creating chaos with rocket rebounds would be fun and bring back all the frustrating memories that are park basketball.
Both baskets should also be equipped with chain nets. If swishes are the only way that shots are going to go in thanks to double rims, at least make those swishes sound great. There is nothing quite like the sound of a ball swishing through a chain net, so even the minor danger it would pose would be worth it for the few makes in the game, especially when Isaiah Thomas gets hot and swishes ten shots in a row.
Finally, the NBA would have to allow bench players to flood the floor after every highlight, while a retired legend provides running commentary on the loudspeaker.
Imagine bringing Paul Pierce back to act as MC for this game, and his reaction as the Celtics rush the court following a Kelly Olynyk poster dunk. Now tell me how anything the NBA could produce outside of this could be better?