Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki would trim season from 82 games to 'mid-60s'
Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said that 82 games aren't necessary to determine who the best teams are.
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Dallas Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki said that, if it was up to him, he'd trim the NBA's regular season from 82 games to the "mid-60s," via ESPN's Tim McMahon.
"I think you don't need 82 games to determine the best eight in each conference," Nowitzki said Wednesday. "That could be done a lot quicker, but I always understand that it's about money, and every missed game means missed money for both parties, for the league, for the owners, for the players. I understand all that, and that's why I don't think it's going to change any time soon."
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"Honestly, I never was a big fan of back-to-backs even when I was 20 years old," said Nowitzki, a 36-year-old entering his 17th NBA season. "I think that you should never have to play at the highest level there is two consecutive nights and flying in between. You obviously make it work. We have the best athletes in the world, we feel, but I think it hurts the product some. Last year, some teams get here for the fourth game in five nights and we've been sitting here on rest and just blow them out.
"I don't think it's good for the product, but I also understand that 82 games is where it's at. It's a business, and everybody's got to live with it."
Look at all the sense he's making! Nowitzki also added that the league should consider allowing fewer timeouts to be called at the end of games, in order to speed up the final minutes. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees with him there, unless you only asked micromanaging head coaches.
Even though Nowitzki doesn't anticipate the season shortening anytime soon, the push for fewer games and the elimination of back-to-backs appears to be gaining steam. This week, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said, "I think everybody probably agrees there's too many games in a short period of time." The idea isn't exactly new, though -- there has been ongoing discussion on the topic online over the past few years, and back in 2008, Shane Battier said the first change he'd make if he was commissioner would be making the season 50 games.
