NBA Christmas Day Schedule 2014: TV Info, Complete Viewing Guide for Every Game
Christmas Eve and all was quiet throughout the NBA, with not a single game played. Fortunately for roundball fans everywhere, the league comes roaring back on Christmas Day, serving up a five-game slate that should bring more holiday cheer than Santa Claus shimmying down the chimney with a copy of NBA 2K15 with your name on it.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are just three of the stars set to take the floor on Christmas, which the NBA turned into one of the most highly anticipated sports days of the month, if not the entire calendar year.
The scheduling is sublime; each of the five games has an intriguing storyline or subplot adding an extra level of tension or excitement to keep fans tuned into every single game. It's also a time for fans and observers to take stock of each team's prospects. The Washington Wizards' Paul Pierce subscribes to this line of thinking.
“By Christmas, you should know what type of team you are,” Pierce said, via The Associated Press (h/t Poughkeepsie Journal). “You should have an identity. Around Christmas, this is the time you should be showing everybody, ‘This is who we are.’ You’re in it or you’re out of it. This the time for the rest of the league, the rest of the world to find out, this is who we are."
The on-court action should be a big enough draw on its own, as seven of the 10 teams hitting the hardwood would make the playoffs if they started today—and that doesn't include the resurgent Oklahoma City Thunder, who are steadily climbing back into postseason contention.
Here is a look at the television and complete viewing info for each game, followed by a preview of the players and storylines to watch in the five Christmas Day contests.
| 12 p.m. | Washington Wizards | New York Knicks | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| 2:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder | San Antonio Spurs | ABC | WatchESPN |
| 5 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | MIami Heat | ABC | WatchESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Los Angeles Lakers | Chicago Bulls | TNT | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | TNT |
NBA Christmas Day Preview
The Washington Wizards and New York Knicks kick off the festivities from Madison Square Garden. There is no better way to start the day, as the Knicks have played more Christmas games than any other NBA franchise. Unfortunately, they are just 22-27 in those games and have little in the way of luck, or skill, to get them through what could be a very tough game. The Knicks already know who they are, and it's not good.
Carmelo Anthony and company are in the midst of a difficult season—a record of 5-25, including just one win in their last 10 games—but a win over John Wall and the Wizards would light up fans' faces brighter than the Rockefeller Center tree.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are 13-16 and will be fighting the rest of the season to secure one of the last playoff spots in the West. They take on the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals. The Spurs won that series in six games and eventually went on to win the NBA championship.
The Thunder were at a disadvantage in the series due to an injury to Serge Ibaka that severely limited his efficacy on the court, and it appears they will be without their best player on Christmas. According to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry, Kevin Durant (22.4 points, 5.0 rebounds per game) has been ruled out of the contest with a sprained ankle:
The Spurs will be without 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who's out with an injury to his right hand, so look for the insatiable Russell Westbrook to attack early and with great ferocity as he tries to drag Oklahoma City to a minor upset victory.
The Cleveland Cavaliers make their first trek of the season down to Miami to play the Heat, James' former team. It will be interesting to see the fans' reaction to the legendary forward who brought them so much success in his four seasons in South Beach. ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin believes he deserves a warm welcome, especially considering the reasons he left:
"James is undoubtedly where he is supposed to be. Once Miami fans can reconcile that, they'll see that having James on loan to call their own for those four years should make him someone they celebrate, not dismiss.
Or as Dr. Seuss once wrote: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Heat fans will have those on-court memories of James forever more. But there's more than basketball for James in Cleveland.
"
It could be a tough game for the Cavs, though, as stalwart center Anderson Varejao is reportedly set to miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Chicago Bulls in the fourth game of the day, a contest that pits Kobe Bryant against his former partner in crime Pau Gasol, who is enjoying a fine first season with the Bulls.
Normally, reuniting two players who won two championships together would be more than enough story for a Christmas Day game, but recent developments in Lakerland make this game especially compelling.
Coach Byron Scott elected to rest Bryant for the Lakers' contest against the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 23, and the team played their best game of the season without the 36-year-old forward on the court. They defeated the Warriors, 23-3 coming into that game, by a score of 115-105, with seven players scoring in double figures.
Grantland's Jason Concepcion provided an apt metaphor for the team's democratic, free-spirited play:
It will be interesting to see how Scott handles Bryant in this game. It's quite possible that Bryant, who has been averaging 35.5 minutes per game this season, could see less time on the court on Christmas if Nick Young, Jeremy Lin and the rest of the squad prove to be more efficient without him.
After all the gifts have been unwrapped, the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will wrap up NBA Christmas from Staples Center.
The Warriors, by some measures, haven been the best overall team in the league this year. They rank fifth in offensive efficiency, per ESPN.com. They're also the Ebenezer Scrooge of defenses, allowing just 96.9 points per 100 possessions, the best mark in the NBA.
Curry and Klay Thompson form one of the deadliest scoring backcourts in the league, but look for the Clippers to counter with the inside presence of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, with Paul doing his best to disrupt the Warriors' long-range attack.
Golden State beat the Clippers on Nov. 5 121-104, and considering both of these teams have legitimate title aspirations and figure to be jockeying for position in the loaded Western Conference all season long, this contest could easily provide more highlights than any of the other four games on the slate. The Splash Bros vs. Lob City; what more could any fan ask for on Christmas?
