NBA Christmas Day Games Are Set
By Michael Simon
NEW YORK, NY_. Thanksgiving Day football, Mother’s/Father’s Day baseball, Christmas Day basketball. When thinking about professional sports, there are certain holidays where watching that sport comes to mind. I, myself, usually find myself surrounded by members of my family to watch every Thanksgiving football game and Christmas basketball game. The NBA has officially announced the games that will be played on Christmas, and once again, the lineup does not seem to disappoint.
With a slate full of future Hall of Famers, young promising stars, superteams, and former playoff rivalries, Christmas Day maybe brings more than just presents to each household. The highlight of the slate of games seems to be what many predict to be an NBA Finals preview: the Brooklyn Nets vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Russel Westbrook, Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden. These two “super teams” will face off in what most likely will be the most viewed game of the regular season.
The first game scheduled will be the New York Knicks against the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks will look to avenge their playoff series loss that stunned many as Trae Young returns to Madison Square Garden, where he had formerly left a villain. Following this matchup, the 2021 NBA championship Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo will take on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics as they look to continue their search for a title with a young core.
The Warriors and the Phoenix Suns also face-off, in a matchup of two teams looking to make a run at a championship. With the return of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors look to head into Phoenix to beat the former Western Conference Champions. Finally, the last game on Christmas will feature Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks against the Utah Jazz coming off of the most wins in the league in 2021.
Overall, Christmas Day 2021 is shaping up to bring a lot of joy, smiles, presents, and most importantly, basketball.
Michael Simon
Journalism Intern