Predictions for All 5 Christmas Day NBA Games

Christmas will bring every sports fan a gift this year: the NBA regular season.

With the lockout carrying into the regular season, the league was forced to push back the start of the season until Dec. 25.

Fortunately, Christmas Day will provide us with some extremely interesting matchups as we kick off the 2011-2012 NBA season.

With games featuring the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks as well as the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, it should be an exciting sports day filled with matchups between top-tier NBA squads.

Here are my predictions for how all five Christmas Day games will turn out as the NBA begins its regular season.

1. Boston at New York

In a rematch of last year's playoff matchup, the first game of the day will feature the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. 

The Celtics are getting older. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are 34, 36 and 35 years old, respectively. The Big 3 is getting closer to having to shut it down, and one must wonder if they can remain healthy throughout an entire season.

Looking back at last year's playoff matchup, the Celtics swept the series 4-0 while Pierce and Allen stepped up in a big way throughout the series. Their best game was in Game 3 when Pierce scored 38 points and Allen put up 32 points. And with Rondo gaining another year of experience, you must expect that he will build on his 2010 season average of 11.2 assists per game and will continue to set up the Big 3 with scoring opportunities.

However, the Knicks will be a tough team to beat this season. After having some time to get acclimated, the combination of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony will be almost impossible to stop. Add in Tyson Chandler to the mix and the Knicks have excellent low-post defensive presence to go along with their impressive scoring ability.

Plus, with the game being played at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks get the push they need through home-court advantage.

Prediction: Knicks 

2. Miami at Dallas

The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks will begin where they left off last season by opening up the regular season against each other.

Dallas has experienced some changes by losing Tyson Chandler to the Knicks, but they picked up an experienced and reliable forward in Lamar Odom. And coming off the last year's NBA Finals victory, the team has a lot of momentum heading into the season. 

The Mavericks still have Dirk Nowitzki, who is the league's most clutch player and can be very tough to stop in all facets of the game. Facing the Heat last season, Nowitzki averaged 26 points per game and almost 10 rebounds. If the Heat expect to win on Sunday, they will have to figure out a way to keep the ball out of Nowitzki's hands.

In my opinion, the Heat will be a much better team than from last year. With the media focused more on teams like the Clippers and Lakers, Miami will not have to deal with all of the scrutiny like last year. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh will not be under as big of a microscope and should be able to play somewhat more relaxed this season.

The trio of James, Wade and Bosh after one year together is just scary. The Heat will be the team to beat in the NBA this season.

Prediction: Miami 

3. Chicago at Los Angeles (Lakers)

While their counterparts have made a few major splashes in the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have stayed idle as trade proposals have been vetoed and rumors have yet to come to fruition.

However, the Lakers are still left with a talented team. Any time you can have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in your starting five, the team will have a great shot at winning. 

The key for the Lakers will be to stop reigning MVP Derrick Rose. In their two meetings last season they split the series, but Rose was productive in both games, scoring 30 and 29 points, respectively.

The Lakers have the size in the paint to match up with the Bulls tandem of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, so that is why I believe this game will come down to its superstars. Whomever has the better game out of Bryant or Rose is who I believe will win the game.

I give the edge to the Lakers because of home-court advantage, and since the Clippers have been getting so much hype recently, Bryant and the team will come out ready to re-establish themselves at the "team of L.A."

Prediction: Lakers

4. Orlando at Oklahoma City

Kevin Durant.

That is all that needs to be said.

But seriously, the Orlando Magic enter the season amidst the distraction of the numerous trade rumors swirling around about Dwight Howard. While the Magic made a good pickup in acquiring Glen Davis from the Celtics, Orlando remained idle in free agency and retained a lot of the same players from last year's team.

The Magic will have to focus on controlling the number of three-point shots taken and continue to feed Howard the ball down low. The Thunder do not have the size in the post to match up with Howard and keep him off the boards.

However, the Thunder do have Durant, who averaged 27.7 points per game last season, as an early favorite to win the MVP this year. The duo of Russell Westbrook and Durant will continue to be one of the most dangerous in all of the NBA. Their athleticism and scoring ability will be too much for the Magic early and will bring the Thunder an opening regular-season win.

Prediction: Thunder 

5. Los Angeles (Clippers) at Golden State

Perhaps the most anticipated game of the day will be the night's final matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.

The addition of Chris Paul will make this a game to tune into as your Christmas Day is coming to a close. Already acquiring Paul has infused the team and city with a lot of excitement and energy. Combine Paul with Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups, and the Clippers have an excellent shot at making a huge splash in the Western Conference this season.

Golden State has entered this season with its share of distractions. Off-the-court issues for Monta Ellis and an ankle injury to Stephen Curry have severely halted this team's momentum heading into the game. The Warriors have other players like Dorell Wright and David Lee, but they have a very limited amount of players who could hang with the athleticism of the Clippers.

The key for Golden State will be to hold off Los Angeles early and get Paul out of his rhythm with Griffin and the others. If the Warriors can keep it close into halftime and get the crowd into the game, they could stand a chance.

But a team consisting of Paul, Griffin and Billups, among others, will be tough for Golden State to stop. Paul is just too much to handle, especially with an athletic forward like Griffin alongside him.

Prediction: Clippers