Why Each NBA Christmas Day Game Is Must-Watch TV

In a matter of hours, we will be met with the warm welcome of actual NBA regular season games for the first time since April.

Oh, and there's Christmas to look forward to as well, so make sure to spend time with your family and all that.

But in between opening presents and caroling, take time out of your day to watch at least a few of the five games that will be featured on the opening day of the NBA. The schedule-makers knew what they were doing when making this schedule—they decided to feature five teams, some elite and some up-and-coming—to mark the beginning of their journey towards an NBA title.

There are so many storylines in the NBA this season that we have to give at least one reason as to why you should watch every game on Christmas. Not only is the start of a new NBA season, but it's also the start of a new era as we begin to see the initial decline of a few key veterans that have reigned supreme atop their conference over the past few years.

With aged teams taking on young teams and balanced taking on athletic, we will be in for a tremendous Christmas. Just to make sure which games you want to watch, take a look at a reason why you should watch each contest.

Boston Celtics at New York Knicks

Why you should watch: How much of an impact does Tyson Chandler have on the Knicks defense?

After bowing out of the race for Chris Paul, the New York Knicks instead targeted and landed former Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler.

Chandler, who is coming off a championship win with the Mavericks last season, signed a deal with the Knicks that will award him $15 million per season over the next four years. He'll replace Ronny Turiaf and help to form the NBA's top frontcourt between himself and pure scorers in Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.

While Chandler's defense was highly lauded by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, the biggest storyline of this game and entire Knicks season is if he can instill that type of defensive philosophy into a team like New York. With a coach like Mike D'Antoni and two star players in Anthony and Stoudemire preaching nothing but offense, it might be difficult for this team to get on board and start playing serious defense.

Defense will be a necessity if they intend to defeat the Boston Celtics, who might be playing without Paul Pierce due to a bruised heel. Having Pierce out will certainly help the Knicks, but they'll still need all the defensive support they can get if they intend to limit the likes of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks

Why you should watch: Can the Miami Heat exact their revenge on the Finals victor?

The Miami Heat will be lucky enough to not see the Dallas Mavericks get their rings. Unfortunately, they will have to be there as they watch their NBA Finals opponent hoist the banner that they believe should be getting hoisted up in their stadium during their season opener.

If not for some suspect play by LeBron James, the Miami Heat could be that championship team. After all, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were playing on all cylinders and even Mario Chalmers got in on the act to average 11 points per game. However, James and his 17 points per game basically made him a non-factor on both sides of the ball.

James played hesitant, tentative and without confidence. He was a shell of the former player that had just bested the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls with stellar late-game performances. He wanted no say in the final outcome of the games against Dallas and that meant the already uneven distribution of the offense would have to settle on the shoulders of Wade and Bosh.

The Mavericks used a zone defense and trash talking to get into James' head and they'll be looking to do the same in their season-opening game against the same team that they defeated 4-2 in the NBA Finals only a few months prior.

Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Lakers

Why you should watch: How will Kobe Bryant play with another injury?

While the Los Angeles Lakers would like you to believe that Kobe Bryant is day-to-day despite having a torn ligament in his right wrist, the fact is that Bryant has a torn ligament in his right wrist and is going to play with it until he says otherwise.

In the Los Angeles Lakers' first preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Kobe Bryant went up for a dunk and landed hard on his right wrist. He was in immediate pain, but would play through it. He had an MRI determining that he tore a ligament and would sit out practice and the following preseason game.

Now, Bryant will be playing against an aggressive and physical Chicago Bulls defense with a torn ligament in his right wrist and an already busted index finger. At 33 years old and having played 40,000 minutes, we can only begin to wonder just how much abuse the five-time NBA champion can take before he eventually has to sit out a few games in order to recover.

This season opener won't allow Bryant to recover. He'll be taking on the team with the NBA's top record last season at 62-20, as well as possessing the MVP in Derrick Rose. With Bryant set to match up against the MVP, we should be in for a terrific battle that pits the new school against the old school.

Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder

Why you should watch: How motivated will Dwight Howard be?

After a tumultuous offseason where the Orlando Magic were oh-so-close to trading away Dwight Howard, the team will now get their first chance to see how their All-Star center performs in a regular season setting for the first time since the trade demand to New Jersey.

In fact, Howard should be a member of the Nets right now. A deal that would have sent Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace and a few others to the Magic in order for the Nets to obtain Howard was shot down at the last minute by the Orlando ownership. Even though they recognize that Howard is most likely leaving in the offseason, the Magic still believe that there is a chance they could keep him.

In order for that to happen, the Magic need to build a championship-caliber roster around him. Instead of doing that, Orlando traded Brandon Bass for Glen Davis, brought in Larry Hughes and re-signed Jason Richardson. None of these moves will convince Howard to stay and it should give even more reason for him to continue to openly pursue a trade.

Going up against an Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant, this could be the game of the day as we see them take on the high-scoring offense of the Orlando Magic. We'll be sure to see a great matchup in the post as we see Howard take on a skinnier Kendrick Perkins for the first time since his weight loss.

Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors

Why you should watch: The NBA's newest dynamic duo.

There shouldn't have to be a reason to watch this, since it's so painfully obvious as to why you should do so.

The Golden State Warriors may not have improved that much outside of a few draft picks and signings, but their division rival in the Los Angeles Clippers sure did improve and they may possibly find themselves at the top of the Pacific if all goes according to plan. With former New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul now leading the way, the Clippers should begin their push for a title in the season opener.

Against a defense like the Warriors, watching Paul go to work should make up for a highlight-reel worthy game. CP3 has already shown a few flashes of what he's capable of with teammates like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan by his side, and he'll be ready to transition that play to the regular season in a game against the Warriors, which will also happen to be the debut of first-year coach Mark Jackson.

While Warrior fans will look forward to seeing what Jackson has done with the team, the NBA fan will be looking forward to see what Chris Paul is capable of with a good roster. For years, his talents were squandered in New Orleans on a team with a limited roster that had no consistency outside of David West.

With the likes of Griffin and Jordan skying high for dunks and Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler set to add some veteran leadership to this team, Chris Paul and the Clippers will show off against a Warriors team whose defense has recently been ranked near the bottom.