NBA's 2008 Christmas Presence

NBA fans will be given several Christmas day presents in the form of two exciting doubleheaders and some fun in Orlando. TNT, ABC & ESPN will play Santa as they bring superstars such as Lebron James, KG, Kobe Bryant and Greg Oden to all NBA faithful. Game one of the ABC set will start at 2:30PM EST & features a rematch of Western foes, the Spurs and the Suns, with Shaq, Amare & Nash facing Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker. Game 2 will be a riveting rematch of last year's NBA Finals as the red hot Boston Celtics travel into Los Angeles to battle the Lakers.

Currently the Suns and Spurs are runner-ups in their respective divisions. San Antonio continues to try to overcome guard injury problems and sits in 3rd place in the Southwest at 17-10. Meanwhile the Suns are second place to Kobe's Lakers at 16-11. These two teams have battled it out in recent years' playoffs, usually with San Antonio coming out on top. The Suns continue to revamp parts of their lineup as they just recently unloaded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, bringing superstar Jason Richardson into the mix. San Antonio seems to be the aging battle-tested team that keeps on going with what it has. While they're not dismal, they aren't the powerhouse they were in the years they were part of the "dynasty" talks.

The second game at 5PM features the Celtics dressed in Green hoping to play Grinches to Kobe's LA Santa Claus. Kobe will have his helpers including Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Bynum was not part of last year's Finals so this will give everyone a good look at how the emerging Center performs against the Champs. Bryant's also currently in third place in the NBA scoring race, a tight race at that. Kobe's averaging 26.2 and trails his Team USA pals, Lebron James & Dwyane Wade. Wade recently outdid Kobe in a battle in Miami between their two teams. While D-Wade may be headed towards scoring champ and MVP, Kobe may be headed back to the Finals for his 4th ring. His Christmas day matchup with the Celts may help Phil Jackson dismantle the champs for their Finals rematch.

But wait, there's more.... Chris Paul and the Hornets will play Dwight Howard's Magic at 12 Noon in Orlando (ESPN). TNT will also feature a doubleheader of its own starting at 8PM when the Wizards face Lebron & the Cavs. At 10:30 PM, it'll be the young Portland Trailblazers with their young center, Greg Oden, facing Dirk & the Dallas Mavs. For an NBA fan that's 5 games to enjoy along with all your Christmas gifts and cookies...enjoy!

Happy holidays to all this 2008 Holiday Season!