Listen, folks, let me tell you somethin’ about this NBA basketball game length. It ain’t as simple as you young’uns might think. See, they say it’s 48 minutes, but that ain’t the whole truth. Not by a long shot.
They got these things called quarters. Four of ’em, they say. Each one is supposed to be 12 minutes long. Now, I ain’t the best at math, but 12 times 4, that’s 48, right? So, you’d think, “Okay, 48 minutes, that’s how long a basketball game is.” But hold your horses! It ain’t that easy.
They got these timeouts, see. When the players get tired, or the coach fella wants to yell at ’em some more, they call a timeout. And that adds to the whole thing. They stop the clock, you see. So that 12-minute quarter, it stretches out longer. Much longer, sometimes!
And then, there’s somethin’ called halftime. That’s when everybody goes to get a drink or somethin’. They say it’s 15 minutes, but it feels like forever when you’re waitin’ for the game to start again. I used to see them boys playin’. My grandson, he loved it. He knew all about NBA game length. He would say, “Grandma, it’s gonna be a long one tonight!”
- They got 4 quarters, each 12 minutes.
- They got timeouts that make it longer.
- They got a halftime that’s 15 minutes.
- Sometimes they even have overtime!
So, you add all that up, and what do you get? Well, you get a game that’s a whole lot longer than 48 minutes. They say, these smart folks who write about these things, they say an average NBA game length is about 2 to 2.5 hours. Now, I’ve seen games that felt like they lasted all day! Especially if it was a close one, or that overtime happened.
And that overtime? Oh, boy. That’s when they just keep playin’ until somebody wins. Five more minutes. Then another five, if they need it. I tell ya, my nerves can’t take it sometimes! I just want them to finish the darn game already!
Now, they got other basketball games, too. Like them college games. They say those are shorter, about 2 hours. And them high school games, even shorter, maybe 1.5 to 2 hours. But that NBA basketball game, that’s the big one. And it’s a long one. They really test your patience sometimes with that NBA game length.
I remember one time, we went to see a game. Took us forever to get there. Traffic was somethin’ awful. Then, the game itself, it went into overtime. Twice! I thought we’d never get home. We were there for, I don’t know, seemed like half the night. But, you know what? It was exciting. Even if I did complain the whole time about how long it was takin’.
So, if you’re gonna watch one of them NBA basketball games, you best be prepared to settle in for a while. It ain’t gonna be over quick. You got your 48 minutes of play, but then you got all that other stuff. Timeouts, halftime, maybe even overtime. You might be there for a couple of hours, maybe even longer.
These young folks nowdays got shorter games, like them Olympic games, they say it’s only 40 minutes, 4 periods of 10 minutes each, but them NBA games. Those are long. You better make sure you got your snacks and your drinks. And maybe a pillow, in case you need a little nap! That NBA game length, it will wear you out.
But you know what? It’s fun. It’s excitin’. Even if it is long. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Unless they made them games shorter. Then maybe I’d trade it. Just a little, though. But, don’t listen to me complainin’. I love watching them play. Just make sure you got the time. You know, cause of that NBA basketball game length.
So next time you think about watching one of those games, just remember what I told ya. NBA games are long. Much longer than you think! Be prepared to stay a while, might even need a snack or two!
