Presents are definitely the most exciting part of Christmas. However, after all the paper is torn off and the boxes are opened, the NBA’s Christmas Day games take centre stage for true sports fans.
This year the NBA will show five games on the big day. That is up from three games last year and two the year before. This year the games start at 12 p.m. Eastern and run for nearly 12 straight hours.
In the first game of the day Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic take on Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. It’s a classic match-up between the best young big guy and the best young little guy in the basketball today.
Later on, Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs battle Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the Phoenix Suns. Considering all the bad blood between these two teams in the NBA playoffs, don’t expect Shaq and Duncan to exchange Christmas gifts at halftime.
In what will likely be the best game of the big day, the Boston Celtics go on the road to face the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of the 2008 NBA finals. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant and the best rivalry in sports should go great with Christmas dinner. Last year, Bryant scored 38 points in the Lakers’ win over the Phoenix Suns so you know he loves to put on a show for the holidays.
What more could a basketball fan want for Christmas? How about LeBron James? James and the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Washington Wizards. The Cavs are 15-3 heading into December while the Wizards are just 3-13 so look for King James to feast on the Wizards defence on Christmas Day.
And in the final game of the day Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks face Greg Oden and the Portland Trailblazers. It might not be the most exciting game of the day but by that point you’ll probably be ready for bed anyway.
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