2010 NBA Schedule: Five Games We'd Love To See on Christmas Day

What are the first things that come to your mind when thinking of Christmas?

Probably something along the lines of elaborately decorated trees, piles of gifts and endless amounts of wrapping paper, watching It's A Wonderful Life on Xmas Eve, one of the best meals you'll have all year, and quality time with those you love the most.

The one thing missing from that list? That's right...some NBA basketball!

Since the 1940s, the NBA has featured games on Christmas Day. In 1983, those games started getting picked up on national TV.

In 2008 and 2009, ESPN and ABC split a whopping five games up among the day as NBA junkies across the world rejoiced. Thirteen consecutive hours of basketball on the most celebrated holiday of the year? Yes, please.

Most of the time, the scheduling masters of the Association do a great job putting forth elite teams and players at the most opportune times. Other than last year's Suns-Clippers blowout and the Heat-Knicks snoozefest, the eight games of the last two years have featured showdowns like Celtics-Lakers, Celtics-Magic, Spurs-Suns, and Mavs-Blazers, and players such as Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwyane Wade.

With the influx of new stars and the balance of power shifting dramatically between top teams in both conferences, the league has a plethora of directions they can go for this year's quintuple-header.

If Mr. Stern and Co. want an outside opinion, then here are five games that NBA fans everywhere would absolutely love to see on Dec. 25.

Denver Nuggets at New York Knicks (12:00, ESPN)

Last year's Heat-Knicks opener was described by a nationally featured columnist as "horribly unwatchable" and brought back unwanted flashbacks of all the ugly showdowns these two had in the '90s.

New York shot 41.0 percent (32-of-78), while the Heat weren't much better at 42.7 percent (32-of-75). They combined to go 7-of-40 from the three-point line, and if it weren't for a somewhat memorable performance (we're throwing that term around loosely) from Dwyane Wade (11-of-21 FG, 7-of-8 FT, 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals), it could have been one of the most boring Christmas Day games of the last 10-20 years.

This year, the Knicks will be much improved (they have to be, don't they?). Maybe they won't capture the old mystique of the Garden, but with Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, and Danilo Gallinari, they've got players that were bred to play in Mike D'Antoni's system.

On the other hand, the Nuggets trot in with 'Melo and Chauncey Billups, two guys who always play better on a bigger and brighter stage.

Last year, Anthony scored a career-high 50 points against a depleted Knicks defense. He didn't slouch in the second matchup, putting up 36 in MSG while having a wildly entertaining one-on-one scoring bout with Gallinari in the third quarter (Galo had 17, 'Melo had 12).

Billups averaged 28.5 points and 7.0 assists in two games where he was primarily guarded by Chris Duhon.

The two teams split wins at home last year, with both games decided by a total of eight points. It should be a high-scoring, provocative start to the day, with the added bonus of a juicy subplot: Al Harrington making his return to New York!

Oh, and there's that whole "Carmelo playing in N.Y." angle you could look at too.

Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (2:30, ABC)

This is arguably the most compelling and fascinating matchup from a pure basketball standpoint. With so many intriguing and compelling subplots, it's no wonder these two teams often bring out the best in each other.

Let's start back in 2009. Admittedly, it was two years ago and there have since been several significant roster moves from both teams. But the Celts-Bulls opener was one of the most exciting first-round playoff series of all time.

Five games decided by three points or less.

Four overtime games (seven overtime periods total).

Three iconic games: Ray Allen's GW three-pointer in Game Two, Derrick Rose's near triple-double in a double-overtime Game Four, and a triple-overtime Game Six with Joakim Noah's breakaway dunk and Rose's blocked shot.

Last year's games didn't match that kind of drama at all, but only one of the games had any real significance (two were very early in the season when the Bulls struggled mightily). When the two met on Apr. 13 with Chicago's playoff hopes on the line, it was a competitive, hard-fought affair, with the Bulls pulling away late for a 101-93 lead and guaranteed their spot in the postseason.

And as far as position battles go, these might be two of the most evenly-matched teams in the league.

At point guard, it's Rose vs. Rajon Rondo, two of the best dribble-drive, set-up players in the league (though probably not two guys we'd want to see in a jump-shooting contest).

At shooting guard, it's Allen vs. Kyle Korver, two of the elite spot-up, catch-and-shoot players...not to mention guys that have mastered the art of moving without the ball.

Inside, there's Kevin Garnett vs. Carlos Boozer, two relatively athletic power forwards (ok, maybe KG isn't that athletic anymore) that can spread the floor with their mid-range jumper and craftily set up defenders in the paint with their turnaround game (but KG is a much better one-on-one defender).

And don't forget about two of the premier energy, spark-plug guys in the league: Nate Robinson and Joakim Noah.

Plus, there's a few other clashes, like the "mentor vs. protege" battle of Doc Rivers against his former assistant Tom Thibodeau, who will drill his tough defensive philosophy into Chicago's minds.

And this matchup is a classic representation of a changing of the guard—the old-school, defensive-oriented, veteran Celtics against the up-and-coming, athletic, energetic, youthful Bulls. On any given day, this should be the highlight game of the day and probably be featured in primetime.

Of course, ABC will probably jump all over this next game for the 5:30 slot...

Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers (5:30, ABC)

It's safe to say that this is the most anticipated matchup of the last decade.

They'll meet twice in the regular season. Let this (Dec. 25) game be the first matchup (ABC), and the rematch in Miami can be played on Jan. 17 (TNT, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). Done and done.

No overextended breakdown and reasoning for wanting to watch this game is needed. Every basketball fan on the planet will want to see if the veteran Lakers can defend their throne against Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the rest of the Heat.

The only real drama is whether or not Pat Riley will take Erik Spoelstra on a Fredo Corleone-esque fishing trip before the game so he can step in as head coach. Then, a Riley-Phil Jackson coaching battle would add just a little more intrigue to an already must-see game.

Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00, ESPN)

Lost in all of the rampant discussion over the vast improvement of the Bulls and Heat is the Orlando Magic, who may be the most forgotten about team in the league.

Heading into last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic were picked by many (OK, maybe it was just me) as the best team in the league. The problem? The Boston Celtics.

But this year, especially as an underdog, Orlando all of a sudden recreates the matchup problems they posed in the 2009 playoffs (against teams like Miami and Chicago).

One of their main issues last year against Boston was that Kendrick Perkins and the rest of the Celtics were able to bully Dwight Howard and make him play one-on-one...and he couldn't make them pay.

However, against teams that have no viable options at center, Howard can dominate. In the 2009 postseason against Boston, he averaged 16.4 points, 17.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. Against Cleveland, he averaged 25.8 points and 13.0 rebounds.

If he reverts to that old form, it takes pressure off of Rashard Lewis (who can drag Bosh and other PFs out to three-point line), and opens up even more outside shots for Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick.

As one of the East's elite teams, how great would it be to see them travel to the Midwest and take on the NBA's best scorer (and most likable team), Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder.

After the collusion and reprehensible collusion that certain stars performed this offseason, Howard and Durant are the NBA's two most engaging superstars. Why not feature them on a national stage right as a follow-up to what is most likely going to be the highest rated game of the regular season?

Need a few more reasons? OK. How about the gritty play of Nelson and Russell Westbrook battling at point guard?

Or Jeff Green and Lewis chasing each other around the three-point line and trying to stop one another off the dribble?

Or Marcin Gortat and Nenad Krstic duking it out for position in the paint? (Just kidding.)

These two met twice in November last year, and neither game was featured on national TV. Let's change that for 2010-11.

Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz (10:30, ESPN)

Our Christmas Day finale rarely provides a memorable battle. This is sad but true—through no fault of the West Coast, most of the Easterners are either asleep or too burned out to watch a fifth game.

So it's up to the league to find the most marketable game possible and highlight it as the night cap. This year...let's go with the Mavs and Jazz for a few reasons.

First, these are two teams that are flying under the radar for next season. Nobody is talking about Dallas, even though they won 55 games last year, turned Erick Dampier into Tyson Chandler (an upgrade when Chandler is healthy), and will see more minutes from young guys like Roddy Beaubois (kind of important from an entertainment aspect).

They just drew a bad matchup with the Spurs in the first-round. If they played Portland, they probably win, and if they get the better of Phoenix, then all of a sudden they're in the Western Conference Finals as a real threat to L.A.'s title run.

Like the Mavs, Utah doesn't seem to be considered a contender. But they added Al Jefferson (more of a low-post threat to complement center Mehmet Okur's outside shot), Gordon Hayward (terrific high IQ player, perfect fit for a Jerry Sloan team), and Raja Bell (lock-down defender who can hit three's when left open).

But preliminarily, both teams could easily be top-five in the West next year.

Second, you've got the old-school, new-school battle at point guard (Jason Kidd and Deron Williams)...or, if Dallas gives Beaubois some minutes, we get a glimpse of the future with a 10-15 minute session of Deron and Roddy going one-on-one.

Plus, there are two power forwards that are pretty much the bizarro version of each other's game (Al Jefferson and Dirk Nowitzki).

And lastly, Dirk scored 29 points in the fourth quarter of a game against Utah in 2009, leading the Mavs to a come-from-behind win. Let's hope for a similar game this year so we get a memorable finish to a terrific day of hoops.

Or, at the very least, maybe the league could cook up a controversial finish so we could see Cuban lose his **** on national TV.