Technology extends basketball games

We live in an era where time is a scarce resource. The new generations demand fast and direct entertainment, without unnecessary pauses. Professional sports are not indifferent to this reality, and competitions are constantly debating how to adapt their formats to this new mentality. The most evident example can be found in tennis, where the Davis Cup transformed its classic structure of marathon eliminations into a concentrated system that resolves everything more quickly, although it has not always convinced traditional fans.

In this context, basketball finds itself at a particular crossroads. The sport has been a pioneer in implementing technology to improve refereeing decisions, but this innovation has brought with it an unexpected consequence: the lengthening of matches, just as the aim is to attract audiences through short and impactful events.

Two decades of video refereeing in basketball

Video refereeing arrived in Spanish basketball twenty years ago. Specifically, in the 2006 King’s Cup, the 'Instant Replay' system was used for the first time, although with very limited capabilities compared to current technology. Since then, the system has expanded to the EuroLeague and FIBA competitions, becoming an indispensable tool in any professional match.

Today, it is unimaginable to have an elite match where referees cannot refer to images at critical moments. In fact, in the upcoming season, video support will also reach the Primera FEB and the Liga Femenina Endesa, further extending this system that no one questions in terms of sports justice. Basketball, as an inherently avant-garde sport, was one of the first to embrace this technological revolution, followed by tennis with its famous 'Hawk-Eye' and, eventually, even football, which was more reluctant to adopt these measures.

The numbers of lengthening: from exception to norm

A decade ago, watching a European basketball game that exceeded two hours in duration was practically a rarity. Today, that situation has become the norm. Almost any match borders or exceeds that time barrier, a transformation that directly reflects the impact of video refereeing on the structure of games.

According to official data provided by the ACB, the average duration of matches in the Endesa League last season was 1 hour and 56 minutes, a figure that includes overtimes and incidents. In the EuroLeague, the numbers are even higher, reaching an average of 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 18 seconds. These figures show that the phenomenon is not just a one-off occurrence but structural.

However, the reviews themselves are not the main culprit for this elongation. The average duration of each review is slightly above 50 seconds in both EuroLeague and Endesa League. More relevant is the overall data: in the Endesa League, the total time spent watching video during the last season was less than three minutes on average, representing an 11% reduction compared to the previous season, thanks to the latest regulatory changes implemented.

Comparison of reviews between competitions

The density of reviews varies significantly by competition. In the recently concluded season, the EuroLeague recorded an average of 3.5 reviews per match, very similar to the 3.4 in the Endesa League. The FIBA Champions League, on the other hand, presents considerably lower numbers with 1.68 reviews per game. These differences reflect different criteria and levels of demand in the application of video refereeing.

A particularly revealing historical data point is that in the 2023-24 season, the Endesa League reached a peak of 3.96 reviews per game, driven by the excessive number of requests from coaches to correct the game clock or shot clock. This situation led the Association to establish a more restrictive regulation, determining that these reviews could only occur at the referee's discretion, never again requested from the benches.

The dilemma between justice and entertainment

Video refereeing has undoubtedly improved sports justice. No one disputes that the use of images allows for more accurate decisions, although in a sport like basketball, there will always be a subjective component in certain actions that will make the final decision human. But this improvement has come at a price: the duration of matches.

The paradox is evident: just when the sport seeks to adapt to an era of immediate consumption and accelerated entertainment, the implementation of technology to ensure transparency and justice prolongs the matches. Competitions are attempting to resolve this dilemma with various measures. The ACB, for example, introduced a quick throw-in two seasons ago, which has been well received by fans, coaches, and players from other competitions.

However, these efforts to speed up the game clash with another objective: increasing transparency in refereeing decisions. Debates over reviews have become visible in Spanish competition for the past two seasons, a fact that has been occurring in FIBA for five years now. This greater transparency makes matches more appealing for television, but it may go against reducing duration.

The legacy of the 2019 scandal

The shadow of the past remains present. The scandal of the 2019 King’s Cup final, with that controversial 'non-block' by Anthony Randolph, left a deep mark. As a consequence, there is a rule in the ACB competition that during the last minute, referees are required to review all available cameras, even if the decision seems obvious at first glance. This measure, although it guarantees maximum justice at critical moments, contributes to the elongation of matches.

Regulatory challenges and rule changes

The latest regulatory changes in the ACB and EuroLeague aim to reduce decision-making power for coaches, limiting their ability to request reviews in certain game situations. Data show that in the last season, 51% of EuroLeague reviews were challenges by coaches, the same figure as in the Endesa League, although in the FIBA Champions League it reached 54%.

Interestingly, the trends diverge. In the EuroLeague, the percentage of challenges has decreased (53% in 2023-24 to 52% in 2024-25), while in FIBA it continues to rise (51% in 2023-24 to 53% in 2024-25). These movements reflect how each competition is trying to find its own balance.

Beyond video refereeing, other factors are extending matches and are more difficult to control through regulation. The excessive number of substitutions, especially in the final minutes, is one of the main culprits. Coaches take advantage of these situations to reorganize their teams, creating delays that add to the total duration of the match.

The debate remains open among the decision-making bodies of international basketball. It is not easy to balance dynamism with transparency and justice in decision-making. The use of technology cannot and should not roll back, as it has significantly improved the quality of refereeing decisions. However, it is necessary to find the precise point where the pursuit of perfection does not generate fatigue in the viewer.

Competitions show good intentions in this regard, implementing regulatory changes and percentage reductions in review times, as demonstrated by the 11% decrease in the Endesa League. But much work remains to be done to continue selling in the best possible way a game that is complex to referee, whose physical evolution is incessant in an era where almost everything is consumed instantaneously. Square this circle has never been an easy task, and basketball continues to search for the perfect formula.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La tecnología alarga los partidos de baloncesto