Jeff Van Gundy has opinions and a lot of them have to do with what he thinks would make the NBA a better sport.
Speaking on a conference call Tuesday to promote the NBA Finals between the Heat and Nuggets, the former NBA head coach was asked what he thought could be done “to continue evolving with the modern basketball coverage and keeping consumers engaged with the broadcast?”
It started with him eliminating free throws as well as cutting down on halftime in an effort to speed the game up.
If you gave me a million guesses on how Van Gundy would answer, “getting rid of free throws” (for the most part) wouldn’t have crossed my mind.
“Well, the thing I would do is, I would try to get it to a two-hour window, and my biggest rule change would be to eliminate free throws until the final four minutes of the game,” said Van Gundy. “So if you’re fouled in the penalty, you’d just get the two points. If you’re fouled in active shooting, you’d get the two points or three points until the final four minutes of the game.”
“I’d also cut back on halftime. I think it’s a waste of time. Cut it down to like five minutes. Then we also wouldn’t have to hear the term ‘halftime adjustments,’ the most cliché, overused term in NBA basketball history.
“Those would be my two things. Speed the game up. Keep the window as short as you can. Try to fit it into two hours.”
The idea of halftime would never happen since networks use that time to show commercials. Also, it gives fans at the games plenty of time to use the restroom and get food and drinks.
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Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard seems to agree with the halftime portion of Van Gundy’s rant.
The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat will be battling it out in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Tensions may flare during the NBA Finals as both teams try to claim that title, but it may have something to do with the history both squads have with each other.
There was a heated meeting between Denver and Miami last season. It involved Nikola Jokic getting suspended, Jimmy Butler yelling at Denver’s bench to “bring that s— to the back” and a now infamous picture of Heat players waiting outside Denver’s locker room due to the in-game altercation.
It also included Morris’ brother Marcus Morris and Jokic’s brothers getting into a verbal sparring match on Twitter.
Game 1 shall tell us what kind of series we are in for.
