Tis the season, everyone. The holidays are upon us and yearly traditions are back. One of those yearly holiday traditions is the NBA on Christmas. 

The first NBA game on Christmas was held in 1947, and has been going strong ever since. With each year passing by, the league continues to evolve. This year is no different. The lineup on Christmas Day consists of the Atlanta Hawks vs the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics vs the Milwaulkee Bucks, the Golden State Warriors vs the Phoenix Suns, the Brooklyn Nets vs the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks vs the Utah Jazz. 

I sat down with my grandfather Bob, and he has some things to say. When I asked about who he thought stood out among this group of teams, he said, “I always gotta rep the hometown, so I gotta pick the Celtics. They are a team who are surprisingly injury prone in a season where players are getting injured left and right, and are also a team with a lot of young talents who have big potential.” 

I also asked him his thoughts on the other teams and he said, “I am enjoying Golden State this year, [Steph] Curry is having one of his best years, and that’s saying something considering he’s been in the league for about 12 years. I think a lot of teams are struggling because of players being forced into COVID-19 protocol, a lot of teams don’t have their top players, such as the Nets, who don’t have their 2 best active players, [Kevin] Durant and [James] Harden.”

While COVID-19 protocols remain strong in the league, it thankfully hasn’t stopped the yearly basketball on Christmas we all love. So be prepared to bundle around the TV with some hot cocoa on December 25th, because it’s time for some holiday hoops. Games will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC. Happy holidays everyone!