The NBA announced some of its marquee games for this season, including the Christmas Day slate on Tuesday morning, and the matchups are a bit head-scratching, to say the least.
Spurs @ Knicks 12 PM EST
If you missed the announcement, the slate kicks off at noon EST with the Spurs hosting the Knicks in a Finals rematch. That’s a solid matchup and will obviously draw attention, but it’s weird to have that game on so early and for these teams not to be facing conference rivals.
Heat @ Celtics 2:30 PM EST
Then we’ve got the Heat facing the Celtics in Boston at 2:30. Sure, I understand these teams have had a nice recent rivalry, and there’s the Giannis Antetokounmpo piece, but Miami has been a play-in team for years; they gutted their roster to have two stars that are both big men, and we have no real proof this team will be good. If Giannis is injured, this game could be a total dud. The Celtics should be facing the 76ers, Knicks, or Lakers.
76ers @ Lakers 5 PM EST
Then, in the marquee 5 PM slot, it’s the new-look 76ers traveling across the country to play the Lakers in LA. Huh? I guess there’s the angle of LeBron James returning to LA, but is that a rivalry, or even a big deal? These teams are hyped and have star power, but I’m not sure either one is a contender, and there’s little to no juice in this actual matchup. Just a weird choice for the league and basically putting all their eggs in the basket of a 41-year-old LeBron is puzzling.
Thunder @ Timberwolves 8 PM EST
The 8 PM matchup may be the best one of the day on paper, with the Thunder in Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. These should be two very good teams, but there isn’t a ton of history between them. I think most fans would have much rather seen the Thunder and Spurs add another chapter to their rivalry, while the Wolves would be better suited facing their arch-nemesis, the Nuggets.
Nuggets @ Warriors 10:30 PM EST
And speaking of the Nuggets, they’ll close the night out traveling to Golden State to take on the Warriors in the most baffling game of all. The Warriors? Seriously? I know they have Stephen Curry (for now), but this was a play-in team last year that got worse. They may be one of the 5-10 worst teams in the league this season, and if Curry is out for any reason, fans around the country will be going to bed early.
There are some solid games and big stars playing on Christmas, but with so many great options to choose from, the league could have done a lot better. It’s sad that they keep hyping up old stars on non-contending teams and refuse to empower the next generation. Will I watch? Of course. But diehard fans like me will watch no matter what.Â
Christmas is a great opportunity for the league to showcase what’s so great about the NBA and the sport of basketball to a huge audience of fans who may not be normal viewers. Trotting out a bunch of questionable teams, non-rivalry matchups, and stars who are past their primes is a pretty big whiff, if you ask me.
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