What a lineup of five Christmas Day games the NBA is providing all of us who are hoops junkies. Just a superb lineup of games which will help us deal with the fact the Thunder aren’t part of the NBA’s XMas day package this season.
For an addict like me..each of the five games brings something to the table.
Game 1:The New Orleans Pelicans vs. the Miami Heat gives us a matchup of the two most intriguing youngs teams in the NBA. Lest we forget the Heat are the defending Eastern Conference champions and the Pels with new head coach Stan van Gundy with a deep and talented roster could turn out to be the darlings of the West. I can’t wait to watch this game.
Game 2: Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks could be a view of the Golden State Warriors’ end of being relevant in the West. Steph without Klay is something we haven’t seen much of at the NBA level. The Western Conference isn’t like playing college ball at Davidson. I’ll just write this…Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Kelly Oubre all three better start bringing their big boy games to the arena because Klay Thompson did a lot of unsung things which helped make Steph Curry a two-time MVP. Being a Splash Brother isn’t the same thing as being a singular Splash Dude. Andrew Wiggins step up or start playing non-contact hockey.
Game 3: The Brooklyn Nets vs. the Boston Celtics is probably the game which will draw the highest ratings as an apparently healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving begin their quest to win the East and attempt to unseat LeBron’s Lakers. Kevin Durant looked great in the opener against the Warriors. With Durant and Kyrie the Nets now have the NBA’s two most talented iso threats in the game. Surely…the Nets won’t bring James Harden on board.
As far Boston…with Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart we know they’ll be good…but will they ever be able to take their games to the next level is my question. Because if they can’t get past the Miami Heat then what would make anyone think they’d beat the Nets in a best of seven series.
Game 4: Lebron vs. Luka. Do I need to write anything else? Has Mark Cuban put enough around Luka to make the Mavs a legitmate threat to reach the Western Conference Finals? Great coach in Rick Carlisle, great player in Luka…not sure about the supporting cast. Lakers actually appear to even be stronger on paper than the team which just won the title. In Oklahoma City the question is what do the Thunder get from the Lakers in exchange for Trevor Ariza.
Game 5: LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets. The Clippers were the biggest losers in either the NBA or NHL this past summer in the Bubble Championships these two leagues provided for their fans.
The Clippers choked on a 3-1 series lead versus these same Nuggets minus Jerami Grant who is now a Detroit Piston. Doc Rivers was rightfully fired and has been replaced with Ty Lue. Serge Ibaka..one of my favorite Thunder players is now a member of the Clippers.
One would think Paul George and Kawhi Leonard will be two highly motivated dudes this basketball season to at the least get to the Western Conference Finals.
The Nuggets in my view will miss Jerami Grant’s defensive versatility as the season moves along into post season play. This game should be a forecast of a rematch in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Even an NBA addict like me will not sit and watch five games in a row on Christmas Day live. I’ll be recording the games. But the two I want to watch live are Games 1 & 3.
Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy the best day of the NBA regular season.
Steph before Klay highlight mix at Davidson.