OT: NBA testing out 44 minutes basketball game

[Hoo's That]

I say boil an NBA game down to its true essence and let everyone go home early:

1. Two players from each team play H-O-R-S-E from behind the 3-point line.
2. Two players from each team have a slam dunk competition.
3. A lotto machine is brought out and a ball with who is ahead and by how many points is selected. Now they put 2 minutes on the clock and the two teams play 5-on-5.

One match point is awarded for horse and slam dunk and three for the 5-on-5 (or maybe one for each segment). Most match points wins.

 

[Quazzum69]

You're absolutely right about the relievers, and that's a major factor contributing to the reduced scoring.

And while many batters slow the game with their routines, there are also lots of painfully slow-working pitchers out there these days, especially when runners are on base.

Base runners should just be eliminated completely. The defense also does very little so they could be taken out. Pitching/hitting is 90% of the game so why not just eliminate the other stuff that takes up so much time?

You could have regions of the field worth various points for hitting them (infield = 1, short outfield=2, 3, ..., home run = 10).
There are three innings - each team is allowed one pitcher per inning (only 27 at-bats). All nine batters hit in each inning so they would face a different pitcher each inning (each batter hits three times). Pitchers would only have about 50 pitches each game. At-bats are the same - you go until you strike out, put the ball in play or walk (which would be worth some points).

If you do have a defense, only have two outfielders and two infielders that are free to align any way they want. If they catch a ball, the offense gets 0 points and if they get to the ball before it stops, they can throw at a large target (home base) and if they hit that, it's also 0 points for the offense.

More points (basketball-type numbers), less time wasted on baserunners. Having multiple pitchers in one game also reduces the necessity for long series of games to see who is truly the best.