Could this be the fix that the NBA is looking for?
The NBA world was set on fire late this week after a few of the suggestions they're using to try to combat tanking were revealed. ESPN's Shams Charania tweeted three of them, and they all looked like disasters.
"Make the games 40 minutes," Cuban suggested. "8 x 82 / 48=13.667. That’s the equivalent number of games you would reduce the schedule by. Without breaking arena leases. Works for college. Works for international. Works for the WNBA.If you look at TV and streaming ratings, the less the actual playing time for a televised game, the bigger the ratings. I.E., the less time fans have to focus on a game, the more they enjoy watching it on TV."8 x 82 / 48=13.667 That’s the equivalent number of games you would reduce the schedule by. Without breaking arena leases.This would solve a few issues. 82 games does feel too long, but it doesn't make sense to shorten the season because of the history attached to the NBA and 82 games. It would become much harder for teams and players to break a record, and that's something the league cares about. The more a player can chase history, the more exposure the league gets, as we saw with Bam Adebayo's 83-point game. Cutting the season by the number of games would impact a lot of things: arena contracts, player contracts, TV deals, and more. Cutting the games by the minutes played shouldn't impact any of that, and it would save some wear and tear on bodies. It also increases the likelihood of a close game if there isn't as much time for it to become a blowout late. Sure, we do see a lot of late comebacks, too, but a shorter game would hve fans more invested. Jan 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Mark Cuban watches the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn ImagesThe NBA has always played games of 48 minutes, making it another historical thing to change that they may not want. It also doesn't really help fix tanking, which was the basis of this idea, but it may fix load management. Anything is better than the rules the league has proposed and will vote on to fix tanking, but it'll have to be something outside of what Cuban proposed as well. Plus, the Dallas Mavericks are one of many teams trying to tank right now. Cuban has no incentive to try to fix it.Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNGBulls vs. Thunder Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, March 27
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