NEWSLETTER
Unfortunately, we’re two days removed from making a Christmas in July joke, but the NBA released its star-studded lineup for the holiday!
Feast your eyes:
NBA CHRISTMAS DAY GAMES:
Clippers vs. Lakers
Pelicans at Nuggets
Celtics at Raptors
Bucks at 76ers
Rockets at Warriors(via @wojespn, @espn_macmahon and @malika_andrews) pic.twitter.com/BBs6Sbrfhg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 2, 2019
Even just seeing this list of games feels like an early Christmas gift.
I know each year we can expect some of the best regular-season matchups to be featured on Christmas day, but this year, in particular, feels pretty darn exciting. The Battle LA that will be taking place at the Staples Center is certainly the headliner, but every other game also feels like must-watch basketball.
The Warriors and Rockets will be the fight of the Russell’s with Russell Westbrook and D’Angelo Russell both on new teams.
The 76ers taking on the Bucks already feels like an early preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.
We get the Zion show with the Pelicans and Nuggets being two of the most intriguing young teams in the league.
And, finally, we get the Kemba Walker led Celtics going after a Toronto Raptors team who will be trying to prove their worth without Kawhi Leonard.
Yes, I’m completely in for the ride on all of these games!
The only issue with this lineup is, well, there is no Bulls game of course! Admittedly, the Bulls would probably just frustrate us during the Holidays, so maybe it’s better we get a small break.
The last time the Bulls played on Christmas day was in 2016 when the franchise had strong enough names to garner national attention. I’m not sure if you remember that game, but Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and Jimmy Butler lead the team into a rough 119-100 loss to the Spurs. Yuck. The Bulls seven-year stretch of appearing on Christmas Day came to an end that year, and rightfully so.
Only time will tell when the Bulls will find themselves back in this special showcase, but considering it’s a strong indicator for how interesting your organization is, let’s hope it’s sooner than later.
