NBA ‘Change the Game’: Lose the 82-game season

(As NBA owners decide how many more games they’re willing to lose to the lockout, perhaps it is time to consider gains that can be made when the league returns. In our latest lockout series, we look at changes that could produce an improved product.) Issue: Because everything can be bargained when it comes to a working agreement with the players, perhaps it’s time to address a schedule that is neither broadcast friendly early in the season amid football or necessarily fan friendly throughout. Foremost, does the NBA need an 82-game regular-season schedule when 16 of 30 teams advance, anyway, to a postseason that last two months? Heat angle: At least in upcoming seasons it will be all about the playoffs for the Heat, with the regular season somewhat of an annoying prelude. While seeding and home-court advantage matters, to do a degree for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and even Erik Spoelstra, it’s all about what happens deeper in the playoffs. Plus, with a shorter schedule, ...