You can put a basketball game on anywhere in the world, and people will watch it, even if they haven't watched basketball before. People only watch baseball out of tradition. MLB didn't even have a play clock until 2023, letting batters step out of the box at whim and create even longer periods with no action.
How do three pointers or uncalled fouls make a game hard to watch? If anything, they make it easier for a first time watcher. Timeouts in the last few minutes happen only when the game is close, prolonging the suspense. If the game isn't close, it ends faster.
