Does the NBA’s Christmas schedule mean anything?
It’s an interesting question after the NBA Cup is over as we power-rank the 10 teams competing this Christmas break, making early-season games feel more meaningful.
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Unlike the NFL’s Christmas Day three-game set, which features just two playoff teams in three mostly meaningless contests, the NBA’s five-game set features 10 potential playoff teams, including nine of the 10 favorites.
Only a few games separate the vast majority of guaranteed playoff berths in both divisions, keeping the playoff prospects open. Each of these games method something.
Other than that, they should be good games to watch (all ET)…
(Yahoo Sports)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks (12 p.m., ABC, ESPN)
Two preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference. As the Cavaliers struggled, it was a fascinating early test of their mettle, or lack thereof. Can they hang?
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San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (2:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN)
A budding rivalry. After getting off to a 24-1 start, the Thunder have lost three of their last five games, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Victor Wombanyama’s Spurs.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors (5 p.m., ABC, ESPN)
Cooper Flagg vs. Stephen Curry. This year’s No. 1 pick, the future face of the league, playing against some of the league’s most stunning talents, is undoubtedly one of the few defining players of this century.
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m., ABC, ESPN)
Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James — They’re surrounded by a lot of talent, including Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Just a power play.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN)
Anthony Edwards’ Wolves reached back-to-back Western Conference Finals, while the incredible Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets won the 2023 title. A battle for the west.
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Now, let’s rank them for power.
(Illustration by Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Coach Steve Kerr came up with a new motto for the once-proud Warriors: “There’s something beautiful in the pursuit. Because we love it so much, because we love what we do, there’s something truly beautiful about the collaboration, the journey, the pursuit of persevering and maybe getting to the top of the mountain again. You just can’t quantify it. But we all know what that journey means to us.”
Cooper Flagg celebrated his 19th birthday. Aside from LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, no one has scored more points in the NBA at such a young age. “He’s playing basketball at a high level at 18 years old,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s played really well at Duke and his first few weeks here, and we believe he’s going to get even better as a 19-year-old.” Watch out.
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Head coach Kenny Atkinson downplayed the Cavaliers’ woes. “I call it a ‘drop,'” he said. You have to control the decline. This is really important. very rare [the season] Just go [on an upward trajectory]. Maybe the Thunder this year; that’s a team in this league. … Everyone else, we’re going through ups and downs; that’s normal during an NBA season. ” (This is not normal for Cleveland.)
Wolves head coach Chris Finch was restrained by officials after a win over the Thunder, but his outburst upset Minnesota and could be the boost this team needs to regain the Western Conference Finals title. “I’ve never seen him running on the field,” Naz Reid said. “I’ll take it. It keeps us going and flips the script. It’s really exciting to see.”
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LeBron James knows exactly why the Lakers are so good. “It’s Luca Magic,” he said. “He’s so good. It’s ridiculous.” Head coach J.J. Redick knows exactly how to succeed with James and Luka Doncic. “Defense and shoot threes,” he said. Now, in order to compete for a championship, the Lakers need more players who can do both. Maybe they’ll fall into their arms too.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka didn’t mince words in his team’s loss to Sacramento after a blowout victory over Denver the night before. “We had a game yesterday where we were more motivated for it,” he said. “Just to let [Kings] We owe a lot to ourselves for being where we are today. … I have to do a better job of giving them more motivation against weaker opponents. “
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Devin Vassell has a warning for the NBA whenever Victor Wembanyama, back from a calf strain, returns to regular practice with the Spurs, who have won six straight (save for the Cup Final): “His impact on both ends is phenomenal. To see him do that with a minutes limit, the league is in trouble.”
Jalen Brunson, fresh off being named MVP in the NBA Cup, had a stellar performance in another win over Miami. “You want to have an MVP on your side,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “He made 15 of 26 shots, 6 of 13 three-pointers, 11 of 11 free throws, scored 47 points, and handed out 8 assists… This is what an MVP should do.” Yes, Brunson is in the conversation.
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Nikola Jokic submits a new entry to the MVP discussion every night. In fact, Jokic — a three-time winner of the award — has been so good and so consistent that David Adelman is running out of words to describe the best player on the planet. “Efficiency is through the roof,” the Nuggets coach said. “He just had a hell of a season, man. That’s all I can say.”
Meanwhile, reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be a killer despite his team struggling for the first time all season. They are still challenging the 2015-16 Warriors’ record of 73 wins. As Gilgeous-Alexander said, calm as ever, “All I can do is play basketball, that’s all I focus on, trying to win games and championships.”