‘Christmas is our day’: the NBA sends a necessary statement
The NBA’s Christmas Day lineup included five classics, featuring epic performances from the league’s biggest stars, something the NBA desperately needed.
Kevin Durant was on the court in Phoenix, warming up for an extra late start at 8:30 p.m. for the end of the NBA Christmas Daywhen Stephen Curry and LeBron James were putting the finishing touches on the fourth thriller of the best day of the NBA season so far. Yet somehow Durant knew exactly how important this day had been for the league.
“Today was a step in the right direction to get people excited about the game of basketball again,” Durant told AM850 during a wide-ranging interview after leading the Phoenix Suns to a 110-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets. . “Hopefully it’s not just because it’s Christmas. Hopefully they stay immersed in the game, immersed in every player, every team for the rest of the season and not just in the playoffs or the finals.
“I want to see the people, the audience. I want to see it rise again. The league is not going anywhere, but we are in a bad streak in that aspect.”
The NBA has been the subject of particularly negative discourse for much of this season, with talk about its style of play, how many three-pointers teams are taking, stars missing games or simply not putting in any effort at all on the weekend. -Star and countless other problems. But the Christmas Day games offered a reminder of how good the game can still be. Four of the five games were decided in the last minute, and the average margin was just five points, the lowest for a Christmas with at least five games in NBA history.
Each match had an exciting ending, with young stars like Victor Wembanyama from San Antonio (42 points, 18 rebounds), Anthony Edwards of Minnesota (26 points) and Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia (33 points, 12 assists) offering outstanding performances alongside Durant’s old guard (27 points), Kyrie Irving (39 points), Curry (38 points) and James (31 points).
The biggest plays were made by role players like the Lakers’ Austin Reaves, who eclipsed Curry’s heroics with a game-winning layup off Andrew Wiggins, and New York’s Josh Hart, whose rebounding and defense sealed the Knicks’ victory. about Wembanyama and an inspired group of Spurs.
And it seemed like everyone knew how important he was to the league.
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” James told ABC’s Lisa Salters after the Lakers’ victory over the Warriors. He even turned around and looked directly at the camera to emphasize his point.
James is well aware that the NFL has encroached on the NBA’s territory in recent years. This year, the NFL put two featured games, and a halftime show with Beyoncé, on Netflix against NBA programming. James woke up determined to reclaim that territory.
“Not having more uniforms on Christmas Day really sucks!” James posted on X. “It was a great feeling to walk into the locker room and see them.”
Over the summer, James had done a joint interview with Curry and Durant during their epic Olympic run in France that NBA Entertainment released ahead of the Christmas Day schedule. It was melancholic and nostalgic. Retirement was openly discussed. Also about legacies. The message was clear: that fans should enjoy these guys while they can because they won’t be around much longer. The takeaway, though, was discouraging: What’s the NBA going to do once they’re gone?
James and Curry continued to support that message again Wednesday night after their latest head-to-head matchup.
“It’s always great. The competitive history, the spirit, the greatness of it. It allows me to appreciate everything we’ve been through and the back-and-forth battles,” Curry said. “In 2024, we’re still doing it and in some ways the games are quite electric and kind of a must-see TV situation. I love it… So it’s a shame to lose because these are the moments that matter a little more.”
James was even more direct. When asked by AM850’s Dave McMenamin what’s still great about the NBA today, he said simply, “LeBron and Steph.”
As Durant walked from the stadium into the still balmy 11 p.m. night in Phoenix, he took on a different tone. The 36-year-old veteran, who came into the league 17 years ago on a Seattle team that no longer exists, said he doesn’t like to think of himself, Curry and James as the defining players of their era because he ignores future members. Hall of Famers James Harden and Russell Westbrook, with whom he went to his first NBA Finals in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That team never returned to the Finals (and Harden was traded to Houston before the following season), but the Thunder won 219 games over the next four years before Durant left for Golden State.
“I feel like fans only want free agency and drama and only care about the playoffs and the Finals and what that means for someone’s legacy,” he said. “So they program themselves to only think about that, which has made them not want to worry about the regular season.”
But he doesn’t blame them either, in a fragmented media environment where the NBA competes for attention not only against other television shows, but also against streaming and social media platforms.
“So to watch a January night game, like the Charlotte Hornets vs. Atlanta Hawks or the Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors, that isn’t on national television, it’s best to follow the stats,” Durant said.
“What I think is that you can’t criticize the product and think that people are going to rate it like some of the shows do. We’re all supposed to be on the same team, but it seems like everyone is clashing right now, trying to get more attention, everyone, instead of trying to take the game in the right direction.
For at least one day, the NBA was moving in the right direction. The games were great, the players were dynamic. Not just the three superstars who have led the league for two decades, but also the young players who will soon be handed over to them.
If there are lessons to be learned from what went right on Christmas, Durant will be among those seeking them, hoping to change the narrative around the league as the calendar turns to 2025.
“I take this seriously and I’m convinced why people don’t want to see us play anymore or why they don’t like the three-point line or what the real problem is,” he said. “I’m trying to think about it and understand it. I love this game. I want to keep it going.”
