The menu is now out for the NBA’s annual Christmas feast. No costs have been saved.
It’s a perfect day for meatloaf, cranberry slices, Brussels sprouts, eggnog and fruitcake. Everything you can do in the stomach.
Enjoy.
Or better yet, grab your NBA cup and head to the top.
Actually, going downhill seems like a foreign concept to NBA drafters.
Looking for a fun holiday get-together? What about team promotions that made the first third of the season so exciting?
Like the Cavaliers, Thunder, Grizzlies and Rockets.
Even the Pacers and Hawks have registered faster heartbeats lately.
So are LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Paul George and Kevin Durant, but for different reasons.
Alas, Christmas everyone has to eat. So here’s how I would rate these five nationally televised games in a digestible way…
1. Spurs-Knicks
Here’s your cranberry slice. At least it has a little juice. Lew Alcindor vs. Elvin Hayes. Outside the 3-point line. Can you imagine John Wooden’s reaction when he saw Alcindor’s towering bomb from 25 meters away? Guy Lewis orders the powerful Hayes to stick to the sidelines to make room for the defence?
That’s what the game has become. And I have to say, it can be delicious in small doses. Wembanyama is the new LeBron—an unstoppable force for the next few decades or so. He needs games like this to put himself in the national consciousness. Thank goodness Santa does his work early in the morning in the west. The best basketball of the day comes out at 9 am
2. 76ers-Celtics
Nov 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Images by Kyle Ross-Imagn The card features two regional rivals that were once exciting but rarely found their glory days. This is one, though the 76ers seem to have found a winning formula. Now let’s see if the NBA—wink, wink—cites the holiday office closure when announcing Joel Embiid’s late-game suspension.
Few players in the NBA are more divisive than Jayson Tatum. Either you love your son or you hate his sense of entitlement. Calling: Focus on Tatum on defense in this game. He will be given an easy job, eight rebounds will fall in his lap because he is not guarding anyone, and the announcer will let us know, “He does all the little things” when he struggles, as he always does under the bright lights. . And her son will get more airtime than Taylor Swift.
3. Lakers-Warriors
October 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) warms up before the game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Photos by Rob Gray-Imagn LeBron vs. Curry is usually must-see TV. It got the top spot on this list, so obviously some advertisers must think it still does.
But let’s be honest… If this game had been on December 26th, it’s possible that both of them would have been given the day off for adults. LeBron has played through aches and pains to show his greatness in recent games. Curry… well, the guy who thought taking him off the ball was a smart idea doesn’t understand the No. 1 Rule of Defense: It’s easier to guard a guy without the ball than with it. Tatum principle.
4. Nuggets-Suns
December 13, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and forward Royce O’Neale (00) responded by playing against the Utah Jazz in the first quarter at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Photos by Rob Gray-Imagn This game would rate highly if not for two major mistakes, each of which could have been predicted long ago. First, it’s a replay of the game two nights earlier on another site, so been there, done that. That said, it won’t be hard to improve on the 117-90 blowout.
Second, injuries to teams that are always injured will keep at least one marquee player (Devin Booker) out of action, and possibly a second (Jamal Murray). That boils down to an interesting competition of rosters with less depth than the University of Arizona football team on opening day. Fittingly, the Grand Canyon State will host the ultimate Christmas slumber party.
5. Timberwolves-Mavericks
December 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Images by Jerome Miron-Imagn Where is flexible planning when you need it? The Timberwolves play the worst basketball in the NBA north of the Big Easy—did you know that the Mississippi River connects Minneapolis and New Orleans? – have lost their last three games by around 100 points to the Knicks, Warriors and Hawks. Not the kind of group you want to promote.
Of course, the Mavericks include Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. But is it really? Doncic is returning to the lineup after an injury, making the rookie a prime candidate for the night off. At the same time, expect Irving and Thompson to watch more than they do. See Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Even if you don’t. A fresh fruit cake—especially after meatloaf—can be much less. Or not.
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