The players will say that it's just another game, but NBA Christmas Day is significant for one and only one reason: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors.
Other games like the OKC Thunder and Chicago Bulls will feature some star power, but the Thunder is favored to say the least. Houston vs. San Antonio is a Texas standoff, but the discrepancy between the two teams is wider than recent years. Same goes for Pelicans vs. Heat which was based on Anthony Davis pre-season hype. The LA showdown with the Clippers and Lakers is nothing more than a novelty show in Kobe Bryant's retirement tour.
Sure, some of these games could end up more thrilling than the Finals rematch, but there is an obvious reason why the NBA placed Cavs vs. Warriors in the middle of the schedule.
NBC is intrigued with how the Cavs will handle small-ball now. With Kyrie Irving back in the fold and Kevin Love to provide better spacing along with more preparation time, can the Cavs finally solve that conundrum?
"Now that they are healthy the Cavaliers can try lineups - such as Irving, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, LeBron, and Love; or sub Tristan Thompson in for Smith to go a little bigger - and see how that matches up with the Warriors," NBC wrote.
Jalen Rose of ESPN is interested with the possible impact of Draymond Green. Green has emerged as the second best player in the team, and even a top 10 NBA player. He will present match-up problems for the Cavs. He declared in the media session (h/t Golden State of Mind) that "the person you've got to try to stop is Draymond, because he's so underrated, will be an All Star this year. He's actually the anchor to what they do up front."