The NBA’s planned crackdown on pregame handshakes and other non-hoops related rituals is undoubtedly chilling news for the creator of this tumblr. If the Association is truly serious about getting down to business, the new, no-fun-of-any-kind edict “will have absolutely no impact,” argues Ball Don’t Lie’s Kelly Dwyer, “but the NBA did just earn itself a few articles on the subject, a discussion of the ‘rule’ on ‘Pardon the Interruption,’ and more unearned exposure during the baseball postseason and NFL regular season.”
The NBA hasn’t decided to limit the amount of TV timeouts it adds to games. It hasn’t curtailed the lengthy player introductions that take place before contests, and it’s certainly not going to reduce those extended halftimes that take place during the nationally televised NBA Finals. Unclear about a possession? The NBA still is going to take what feels like an hour and a half to set up a jump ball, following a scrum.
But should you dare to take too long to get to the game-starting tip at center court after those 47-minute player introductions? Boy howdy, are you going to be in TROU-BLE.