NBA Christmas Day Preview

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – NBA Christmas Day Preview

Release Date: December 24, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht (guest host), Dave DuFour, and rotating co-hosts
Main Theme:
A lively and in-depth preview of the NBA’s highly anticipated 2025 Christmas Day slate, featuring analysis, predictions, and fun banter as the hosts use a mail-in box of NBA hats and ornaments to cue each matchup. The team reflects on compelling storylines for each game, key players to watch, and the potential playoff implications—blending basketball nerdery with holiday cheer.

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1. Christmas Day Matchups Overview

[02:28–03:37]
The hosts set the festive tone, unboxing NBA-themed hats and ornaments sent by the league. Each ornament signals a different Christmas Day game, guiding their discussion through the stacked schedule.

“We are previewing the Christmas Day games here. And to help us… we got this red box… I don’t even quite know what’s in it. It’s gonna help us preview the slate of NBA games here.”
—Andrew Schlecht (03:00)

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2. Thunder vs. Spurs – 2:30pm ET

Storyline:
Rematch of budding rivals with a focus on young stars Victor Wembanyama (“the little alien”) and OKC’s core. Heightened drama after their In-Season Tournament Cup clash.

• Key Discussion Points:
  • How the “Wemby vs. Chet” showdown and SGA vs. Spurs’ guards defines new-era rivalries
  • Is the Thunder’s playoff-level home atmosphere the difference?
  • Uncertainty over Wembanyama’s status (questionable) and how it sways predictions
  • Panel’s picks:
    • Andrew: OKC (“I think they’re really going to lock in.” 08:08)
    • Dave: Spurs (“We see a lot of growth game to game, and I think losing the NBA cup probably isn’t sitting well with them.” 08:27)
    • Co-host: OKC for a “revenge match” (08:45)

“This is going to be the most playoff-feeling game of Christmas Day. Just because of the energy… They haven’t had a Christmas game since 2018… I think the Wemby/Chet dynamic, the SGA versus all of their guards dynamic—it's all there for this to be an incredible game.”
—Podcast Co-host 2 (07:25)

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3. Mavericks vs. Warriors – 5:00pm ET

Storyline:
Intriguing collision between two teams with chemistry questions, rising stars (Cooper Flagg), and aging legends (Steph Curry). Warriors’ defensive identity and over-reliance on Curry, Mavs’ construction and emergence of Flagg, and a possible play-in preview.

• Key Discussion Points:
  • Rookie Cooper Flagg’s rapid growth, offensive outbursts, and showing next to Anthony Davis (10:18)
  • Will he break Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie Christmas Day record of 45 points? (11:06)

    “Cooper Flag, 46 points. Christmas Day.”
    —Dave DuFour (11:35)

  • Is the Warriors’ reliance on Draymond and Steph sustainable?
  • Are these teams built for the playoffs or just fun regular-season watches?
  • Mavs are “huge”—Warriors lack interior presence, questioned as “unserious contender” (14:03)
  • Defensive mismatches: Can Mavs guard Steph/Curry contain the Mavs’ size?
  • Both teams possibly destined for the play-in (15:13)

“This game of Draymond as your center is over. This is not the same league it was in 2017. 2018… The idea that they were ever a serious contender… was a little bit of far-fetched.”
—Dave DuFour (14:03)

“I’m not in on the Mavericks as like this threat to win a lot of basketball games, but I’m in on them as like a construction project. Very interesting to watch.”
—Dave DuFour (12:19)

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4. Knicks vs. Cavaliers – 12:00pm ET

Storyline:
Holiday tradition at Madison Square Garden; Knicks as emerging East power, Cavs reeling with injuries and existential questions.

• Key Discussion Points:
  • Knicks thriving post-In-Season Cup, “the best team in the Eastern Conference” (16:48, 18:22)
  • Brunson’s scoring evolution, now considered “MVP caliber”:

    “He’s one of the most elite 3-point shooters in the league. Just knocked down as a spot-up guy. We probably don’t talk about Brunson enough because he’s become so consistent.”
    —Dave DuFour (19:28)

  • Cavaliers facing harsh scrutiny: most expensive team (“They need to get under the second apron… and that’s where if you’re above the second apron, you have to win the title. That’s it.” —Dave DuFour 18:17)
  • Potential for embarrassing Cavs result; hot seat speculation (“Kenny Atkinson on the hot seat… Cavs are saying, no, but… they’re going to have to make changes regardless.” —Dave DuFour, 17:59)
  • If Cavs don’t turn up, questions about trades or coaching loom.

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5. Rockets vs. Lakers – 8:00pm ET

Storyline:
Lakers’ star power and health vs. the resurgent, defensively stout Rockets. Spotlight on rookie Reed Sheppard and the Rockets’ bruising size.

• Key Discussion Points:
  • Will LeBron and Lakers field a healthy roster? That’s the x-factor.
  • Rockets’ best rebounding team, physicality with Adams & Sengun
  • Reed Sheppard—rookie PG who “is definitely a difference maker and an X-factor” (25:53)
  • Rockets’ defense and depth vs. Lakers’ defensive woes
  • Lakers needing better perimeter defense and rim protection (“They almost need an upgrade at two spots… I would argue Deandre Ayton is having a decent season, but it’s not good enough.” Dave DuFour 28:25)
  • How will Houston approach LeBron/AD, and can Lakers keep up?
  • Rockets as legit threat; Lakers described as a “one-sided basketball team”

“This is like a one-sided basketball team and the Rockets are much more than that. They know how to score. They obviously are very good defensively.”
—Podcast Co-host 2 (26:59)

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6. Timberwolves vs. Nuggets – 10:30pm ET

Storyline:
Christmas nightcap—potential best game of the day—showcasing the ultra-defensive Wolves and the champion Nuggets, even with key absences.

• Key Discussion Points:
  • Wolves as the "Nuggets killers"; built to disrupt Denver (22:08)
  • Jokic vs. Gobert, Murray’s All-Star leap (23:03)
  • Jamal Murray’s two-way improvement: “He’s actually improved and stepped up defensively in ways that I didn’t expect…” (23:15)
  • Stylistic clash—top offense vs. elite defense
  • Hoping for a “close matchup,” Ant Edwards’ closing ability
  • If tight, can Ant go toe-to-toe with Jokic down the stretch?

“If it gets close… we know what Jokic is last five minutes of a game. But Anthony Edwards, we got to start talking about what he does in the game… he’s not scared of it.”
—Dave DuFour (24:12)

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7. Notable Quotes and Fun Moments

• Ornament Guessing Game: Ornaments themed after "the little alien" (Wemby), "chef's hat" (Curry), Joker (Jokic), "The Slim Reaper" (KD), Brunson Burner, and more, used as visual aids for each game, enhancing listener engagement.
• Banter about NBA hats:

  “Check it out… Oh, we got a thunder dad hat.”
  —Andrew Schlecht (04:31)
  “That feels like pandering.”
  —Dave DuFour (04:33)

• Discussion of league trends:
  • Over-reliance on small-ball/aging cores
  • The rise of rookie talent on big stages
  • Shifting MVP and All-Star debates (“Shay, Jokica, and then I’d probably go Bronson… I think I go Brunson over Luca.” —Podcast Co-host 2 & Dave DuFour, 20:21)
• Predictions of huge scoring games:

  “Cooper Flag, 46 points. Christmas Day.”
  —Dave DuFour (11:35)
  “Brunson could go 47 points and we just don’t bat an eye about it anymore.”
  —Dave DuFour (19:22)

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8. Christmas Classics – Photo Flashbacks

[35:57–43:41]
The hosts close with a playful photo segment recalling classic Christmas Day performances:

• LeBron’s 2003 rookie Christmas vs. T-Mac: 34 points (“Rookie Lebron…34 points, 6 assists in his Christmas debut…” – 37:13)
• Durant’s big night in 2010
• Kyrie’s game-winner over Klay in 2016 (“This is Kyrie Irving’s turnaround jumper over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left that lifted the Cavs…” – 39:04)
• Jokic’s 41–15–15 triple-double vs. Suns (2022)
• Brunson’s 38 points for the Knicks in 2023
• Luca’s 50 points vs. the Suns in 2023
• Steph’s record-tying eight threes on Christmas (2024), with predictions he’ll break it this year
• Fun asides about Christmas jersey designs and the T-shirt jersey "era"

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9. Closing Thought

A heartfelt send-off to listeners, with thanks for the support and encouragement to savor both basketball and family time over the holidays:

“It means the world to us that you guys tune in to us every single day… Take the time, watch basketball, but take time with your family and your friends to just enjoy this time of year.”
—Andrew Schlecht (44:42)

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10. Quick Reference: Christmas Day Schedule

• Knicks vs. Cavaliers | 12:00pm ET
• Thunder vs. Spurs | 2:30pm ET
• Mavericks vs. Warriors | 5:00pm ET
• Rockets vs. Lakers | 8:00pm ET
• Timberwolves vs. Nuggets | 10:30pm ET

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 06:07 – Thunder vs. Spurs breakdown starts
• 09:39 – Mavericks vs. Warriors key matchup and Cooper Flagg talk
• 12:54 – Warriors’ vulnerabilities and Steph Curry discussion
• 16:19 – Knicks vs. Cavaliers preview
• 25:53 – Rockets vs. Lakers emerging storylines
• 22:08, 23:20 – Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Jokic/Murray/Ant
• 35:57 – Classic Christmas Day performance flashbacks

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Tone & Style:
Conversational, irreverent, packed with inside-jokes, frequent teasing (“That feels like pandering.” – 04:33), NBA references (“unserious contenders” – 14:03), and lots of holiday spirit.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode:
This preview delivers everything—from in-depth analysis of each matchup and rising player narratives to the genuine excitement of Christmas Day basketball. The episode anticipates great individual performances, revels in the NBA’s evolving landscape, and encourages enjoying both the games and the season’s celebrations.

Transcript

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[Andrew Schlecht]

Here the NBA on Prime is back this Friday with another action packed doubleheader. The night starts with Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics going toe to toe.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

With Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers. Then James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers head north to face Jrue Holiday and the Portland Trail Blazers.

[Andrew Schlecht]

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[Podcast Co-host 1]

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[Andrew Schlecht]

Not gonna lie, I'm really intrigued by.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

The the Blazers this year. If you haven't had a chance to watch them, watching them on prime is.

[Andrew Schlecht]

A really, really good chance to.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

They've got some intriguing young players, young Han Sen. You can watch Shaden Sharp continue to hone his craft and obviously Drew Holiday leads the pack. And then Jalen Brown's having a special season. You guys need to watch him against the Pacers. Coverage starts Friday. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. This podcast is sponsored by Royal Kingdom, an amazing mobile game that's super fun, free to play, and has no annoying ads. This time of year there is a lot of travel and family time and Royal Kingdom is the perfect escape because it doesn't need any wi fi, making it perfect for planes, trains and just a quiet break in the other room. Royal Kingdom is a story driven Match three puzzle with stunning graphics. It's relaxing but has challenging levels. Royal Kingdom is part of an expanding universe filled with high quality animations and memorable characters. I personally love to play a few levels during a timeout in whatever NBA game I'm watching or even while I'm listening to my favorite podcasts. So what are you waiting for? Join the fun and download Royal Kingdom on the App Store or Google Play today.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Ho ho ho and Merry Christmas to all of our NBA Daily listeners. I'm your guest host Andrew Schleck. Today we're going to preview the NBA games on Christmas Day along for this sleigh ride with me that's probably too much. Dave DeFore.

[Dave DeFore]

Hey.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Merry Christmas, fair Henny, Santa's little helper.

[Dave DeFore]

What's the holidays?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Hello.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, that's right. That's for the holidays. Very important because there's a lot of holidays right now.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Absolutely. Well, happy holidays, everybody.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, it's true.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So we are previewing the Christmas day games here. And to help us, thanks to the NBA, they sent us this red box which if you're watching on YouTube, I recommend you watch this on YouTube. You can listen to it. We'll do our best to tell you everything that's going on here, but this is a very much a YouTubey show. So be sure to tune in on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to our YouTube channel as well. We are going to use this box. I don't even quite know what's in it. And so I teased this on social. I'm very curious to open this box to see what's going on here because it's going to help us preview the slate of NBA games here. So I'm going to open this up.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I'm excited.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Shout out to the NBA and see what's in here. Thank you, NBA. Oh, okay. So first thing we have here. Oh, okay. I'm going to use this for our. After our break, we're going to use these photos. Okay. So I am unwrapping this and oh my goodness. Okay. First thing that I see in here are a bunch of hats.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

I believe Andrew is being drafted right now.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I'm being drafted by so many teams. Okay, so we've got hats for. Looks like all the Christmas day games here. Yes.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, that looks sweet. It does look like all of the draft hats, by the way.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It does. This is pretty sweet. Okay. Oh, that Nick's hat. That's nice. Okay, so I will bring these hats back out. Oh, we got a thunder dad hat.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Nice.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Check it out. Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

That feels like pandering.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That is pandering a lot.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, yeah, they know me.

[Dave DeFore]

And what's the first hat look like?

[Andrew Schlecht]

The spurs hat.

[Dave DeFore]

Clear Anti spurs bias.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I don't think so. I think.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

What do you mean?

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, it's fine. Okay.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's a nice hat. You didn't.

[Dave DeFore]

You weren't excited about it.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Not gonna lie. The Knicks hat looks the best. If you're watching on YouTube, that's 100%.

[Andrew Schlecht]

100%. Yeah. The Cavs hat doesn't look too good. Similar to the team. Okay.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

All right.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So what I have in here I believe are ornaments.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Okay.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to open these ornaments and then we will discuss what these ornaments mean. Okay. So it's going to give us a hint toward a Christmas Day game. So the very first ornament I'm opening. Let's see. Oh, can you see this?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Is that a Grinch?

[Andrew Schlecht]

No, it's not a Grinch. Let me see it. Not shiny on here.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, it's an alien and a spaceship.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It's a little alien and that. Who are we previewing for? The little alien, of course.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Victor Wembanyama.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Victor Wembanyama against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 2:30 Eastern Time here in OKC. I will be there. So if you're there, would love to see you. I would love to wish you a Merry Christmas in person. What are we looking for, guys, in this Thunder spurs matchup that is so like, it's become more heated thanks to the cup.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And I am really looking forward to it. So we'll start with you, Dave. What, what are the things you're most looking forward to seeing on Christmas Day here in okc?

[Dave DeFore]

Well, we, we dug into this a little bit on the show the other day where we talked about how this, this rivalry is growing out of that one game from the cup. It'll be nice to see this again at full strength. You know, they play the other night and no Wemby, so we didn't get to see a full fledged rematch. But I'm excited to see what it looks like in OKC in front of that crowd. I mean, that arena is fantastic. Oh, yeah. As a viewer at home, it's great. But in, in the building, it's even better to watch them see a team that they know can beat the Thunder. I'm excited for that. What is, what does the crowd feel like? You know, are they on edge the entire time? Like we know what these teams are going to be like, the Thunder resting guys, getting them ready for this Christmas Day game. And really I, you know, for both games and the, the spurs probably still feeling like they need to prove themselves quite a bit even though they're the two seed. Yeah, I like this. This visual looks great. If you guys aren't watching on YouTube, you're really missing out because Andrew's just shuffling.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I'm loving this. I'm loving this box that the NBA sent us. It's amazing. Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

I will say, yeah, this is, this.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Is going to be the most playoff feeling game of Christmas Day. Just because of the energy. Like you mentioned in OKC, they haven't had a Christmas game since 2018, which I think will be very cool. Also crazy that they didn't get a Christmas game last year, truthfully, but that's neither here nor there.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Preaching to the choir, my brother.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I know, I know. But this is. This is going to be the playoff atmosphere that you want. And yeah, I think the Wemby Chet dynamic, the SGA versus all of their guards dynamic, it's all there for this to be an incredible game. So 2:30 Eastern, I would lock in. Who are you guys picking, by the way?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Well, Wimpy's questionable in that. In the game that we're. We're recording this before they play on the 23rd. So Wimby's questionable in that game. I think I'm picking OKC to win on Christmas Day. I think they're really going to the Thunder win a game. Surprising. I think they're going to completely lock in.

[Dave DeFore]

But, boy, I'm going the other way.

[Andrew Schlecht]

You're going Spurs.

[Dave DeFore]

I'm going spurs again. I just feel like, look, man, this spurs team, we see a lot of growth game to game, and I think losing the NBA cup probably isn't sitting well with them.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Well, I also think losing in the NBA cup won't sit well with the Thunder.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

So I'm going to say okc, I think it'll be a little bit of a revenge match.

[Dave DeFore]

But look, man, I just think we're going to. I think there's going to be a smattering in the crowd of Go, spurs, go. Wow, the Ultras are going to make the trip. It's Christmas Day. They're off work. They're going to be up there. They were in Vegas.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I don't think so.

[Dave DeFore]

They went to Vegas.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Oh, they went to Vegas. There were tickets available in Vegas. I will say that. Okay. Okay. That should. That should be an amazing matchup. Okay, next one. Let's see what we got here. Ooh, you guys see this? You see this ornament? What is this?

[Dave DeFore]

I believe we're doing Cooper flag.

[Andrew Schlecht]

This is a flag. It's for Cooper flag.

[Dave DeFore]

The 5pm definitely not winning the draft.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I was going to say, did not see that one coming. Yeah, I wouldn't have Canadian here would not have guessed that as Cooper flag.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So we've got Mavs warriors at five o', clock, which is kind of shaping up to be a little bit more interesting. If you look back like three weeks ago, you'd have been like, oh, boy. Yeah, this is going to be kind of. Kind of a mess. But I. Both teams are Getting to better places with their teams. Well, I say that, I say that the warriors are in a weird place, but they're still playing a little bit better. Warriors Mavs, s. What you got for this matchup, man?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Will Draymond Green and Steve Kerr yell at each other on Christmas like the dysfunctional family that they are?

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Right.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I can't wait to see that. That will be interesting. I think ultimately to the matchup part of this. Very intrigued to see what Cooper Flag does on his first Christmas game. He, as we've talked about over the last couple weeks, has really started to figure it out. They're playing him next to Anthony Davis more and that has opened up a lot of space for him as well as the fact that like just playing more guards has allowed Flag to really blossom off of the ball more often. I mean, this a guy who dropped 40 when we were watching it against the Jazz in Vegas. He looks very comfortable getting into his mid range spots now. And I think against the warriors defense, that's the challenge. Right. How Draymond Green is going to go at, at Cooper Flag? Cause I think that'll be a pretty good challenge for him.

[Dave DeFore]

What's the rookie record for points on Christmas Day? I feel like that's in place.

[Andrew Schlecht]

A good question.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, like one of the recurring themes so far this season for Cooper Flag is it's a lot of stuff that hadn't been done either before or.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

It'S actually a pretty easy guess, Dave, if you want to make it.

[Dave DeFore]

Is it LeBron?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

No, it's the other guy that's at the top of every single career. Wilt Chambers will.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, you're going to make me go through a list. Okay, so how many points?

[Andrew Schlecht]

How many points?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Wilt Chamberlain scored? 45 as a rookie and had, you know, six rebounds.

[Dave DeFore]

Cooper flag, 46 points. Christmas Day.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Let's go.

[Dave DeFore]

It's.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Let's go.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, listen, we're in the marketing era of the NBA, so I believe this would be some pretty good marketing. The guy is. He's really gotten much better as a scorer already. Yeah. And he was pretty good when he came in. And, and this team is kind of, it's rounding around him in a lot of ways. I think the way that him and Anthony Davis play together is great. Although I still think this team is going to Anthony Davis a little bit too much down the stretch and let him just shoot too many threes. But I, I'm. I'm not in on the Mavericks as like this, this sort of a threat to win a lot of basketball games, but I'm in on them as, like, a construction project. Very interesting to watch.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm starting to see the vision. Okay, next one. Ooh, this actually is still. We can talk about this garlic, I think. No, you see this?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, it's a king crown, right?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Nope, it's not. Let me see if it's getting closer.

[Dave DeFore]

Maybe cologne.

[Andrew Schlecht]

See what it says on it?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I don't see what it says.

[Andrew Schlecht]

How about now?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Nope, can't see it.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It says chef on it. It's a chef's hat.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Ah, I see.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay, so we can. Let's talk the Warrior side of that.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Chef Curry.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, they sent two ornaments for each game.

[Andrew Schlecht]

You know what I think we did? We really just talked. Mavs. Let's talk. Let's talk about the Warriors. They're. They're. Like I said, like, they're. They're in an interesting spot right now.

[Dave DeFore]

Steph Curry's over importance is bad for this team, you know, and. And long term, I mean, I don't. I just don't know how Steph Curry even makes it to the playoffs or play in if. If we're looking right now healthy.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, I mean, he.

[Dave DeFore]

If he's not putting up 40 a game, they have a hard time winning. Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I think one of the things with the warriors, they have not been able to get to that defensive identity that they had at the second half of last year, which was they were the best defensive league to finish the year. And how do you get that magic, again, of all being on the same page defensively again? I think a lot of that has to do with Draymond, him being at 100%. To your point about over reliance, Dave? I think they probably have a level of over reliance on Draymond defensively, too.

[Dave DeFore]

Also. The league's too big, man.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

This.

[Dave DeFore]

This game of. Draymond is. Your center is over. It is. This is not the same league it was in 2017. 2018. You just cannot do it again. The. The Nuggets are playing Valentunas and Jokic together. The Rockets play Adams and Shingoon together. I mean, Chet and Hartenstein, like, be serious. They don't have a center. The. The one center they went out and got was Al Horford. I hate to sound so angry about this, but why a little angry for Christmas? Curry is still. He's not in his prime, but he's still, like, a top six player in the NBA. And this is the team that you've gone out and unseriously Built around him. So, you know, the idea that they were ever a serious contender coming into this season was a little bit of far fetched. You know, I know through all things, you know, through, through Steph, all things are possible, but not with this team. Yeah. So yeah, I mean, they're unserious contender. I mean, the Mavs have a really good chance of just beating up the warriors because of their size.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

They're huge.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. And that's a big deal. The warriors can't rebound with them. The biggest, the biggest issue for the Mavs is can they score enough on the Warriors.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Which, you know, I'll also say maybe this is a play in preview. Both teams seem destined for the play in. Yeah, maybe this is like the 78 matchup or the 910 matchup.

[Dave DeFore]

Definitely not 6 7.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Well, you also have Stephan, you also have Steph and Clay playing against each other Right. On Christmas Day, like Clay versus the Warriors. I also wonder who guards Steph. Speaking of the chef's hat, like, that's another thing that the Mavs like. They can certainly defend the rim. Yeah, that's typically not been the problem when you're playing against the Warriors. It's how do you defend Steph Curry? They don't. The Mavericks aren't particularly set up well to defend Steph.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, well, we're going to see what Ryan Nemhardt's made of.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That's right.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Sure, sure. Okay. All right.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Different flag being waved on Mavericks.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, that's exactly right. All right, next, next one. What we got here? Oh, okay. Okay, can you guys see this ornament?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That is a wolf.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It is not a wolf.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

All right, I'm lost here. We are guessing it is a cat.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It's a cat.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Okay, there we go.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The Knicks and the Cavaliers at 12pm Eastern Time. Everybody's done unwrapping their presence. Everybody's chilling now. And we're going to flip the TV on and we have Nixon asks what is. What is interesting to you about this matchup?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I'll just say I've always wanted to do a Christmas Day game in Madison Square Garden, hoping I can achieve that at one point.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That would be a blast.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

It feels like it's tradition at this point for them to have the early game. Every time I open it again, like you said, after opening presence, you go and you pop open the TV and it's the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. This is a huge test game for the Cavs, who are struggling to find their own identity. I know they're dealing with injuries. Mobley is out, et cetera. But at the same time, you're now facing what I think is the best team in the Eastern Conference. And this Knicks team is rolling. We talked about post cup haze. They do not have any of that post cup haze right now where Brunson is firing on all cylinders. They're going deeper into their bench, too, so guys like Tyler Kolik are playing for them. I think they look awesome offensively. And this could either end up being truthfully embarrassing for the Cavs if they lose badly. And questions will be asked after this, like whether they will have to make a trade, whether they are going to look in a different direction coaching wise, etc. I think this is one of those games, especially on national tv, where if they don't come out and perform, there is going to be a lot of questions about the Cavs.

[Dave DeFore]

We're already. We're already starting to hear, yes, Kenny Atkinson on the hot seat. You know, Joe Varden's having to put out. You know, hey, teams are asking around about players and so far the Cavs are saying, no, this is the most expensive team in the NBA. They need to get under the second apron because this is not a championship team. And that's where you know, if you're above the second. Second apron, you have to win the title. That's it.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Dave DeFore]

So this is not a title team, so they're going to have to make changes regardless. But this is setting up to be a boat race by the Knicks against someone who's trying to swim. I. I just don't think this is going to be a game that's close. Like you said, S. If the Knicks did not wake everyone up by winning the NBA cup, which they should have. Yeah. This game is going to be the one that makes everyone realize that they're the best team in the East. That offense, compared to what the Cavs have been able to do, defensive, I just feel like they're going to blow them out in this game. The Knicks seem to step up this season when the spotlight hits.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

This is.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, it's Christmas Day. The Cavs are kind of reeling right now. They can't get anything going. And even if Garland's healthy, he hasn't been good. So this isn't a matter of just poor health. They have been worse on the court.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

So I would have. I would have loved for one of the ornaments to be a Brunson burner because, you know, because I think jaylah.

[Dave DeFore]

Could go 47 points and we just don't bat an eye about it anymore.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

This is not even a thing anymore.

[Dave DeFore]

Is he not the best scorer in basketball? Considering the fact that he's 6ft tall and, you know, a lot of his stuff is individual. Individual creation. I mean, the way he shoots the three now. Yeah, I mean, he's one of the most elite three point shooters in the league. Just knocked down as a spot up guy. I. I just. We probably don't talk about Brunson enough because he's become so consistent.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, it's. It's gotten to the point where it's an afterthought because you expect him to be this guy. And to think when he first signed with the Knicks, people were going crazy about the contract that he signed. And now he's, in my opinion, like an MVP caliber player. I think he's probably on the short list of guys.

[Dave DeFore]

Absolutely.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

MVP wise when it comes to winning the offensive output. The way I think he's bought into Mike Brown in the system of moving off the ball a little bit quicker. He's been.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, where would you put him right now? Probably third.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Let's see. Shay, Jokica. And then I'd probably go Bronson. Unless I'm missing someone.

[Dave DeFore]

And I think I go Brunson over Luca. Oh.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I mean, just because the game's played.

[Dave DeFore]

Games played and you know.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, they're.

[Dave DeFore]

They're first in the. Or they're gonna be first in the East, I think, at the end of the day. So. Yeah. Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Would have been great to see Nick's pistons, by the way. Just want to put that in there.

[Dave DeFore]

Would have.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

It would have been great to have a Nick's pistol.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, but to be fair to the schedule makers, no one thought that the Cavs were this soft.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That's true. That is true.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. This was thought to be like the matchup.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

One versus two in the East. Yeah, absolutely.

[Andrew Schlecht]

All right, next ornament. Here we go.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Brunson Burner.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

No.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Can you see this?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That is. Oh, I want that ornament. I want that ornament.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I will send this to you. I'll send this to you.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That is an incredible ornament. Shout out to the NBA if you can't see it. It's a Joker ornament.

[Dave DeFore]

You guys remember starting lineup. Figures.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Joker. Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Can we bring those back? Make those Christmas ornaments. Give me a Jokic doing the Sombor shuffle.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Starting lineup. You know, let's go old school on it.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I like the Joker ornament.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

But also, you know, I'm with the sombor. Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

10, 10:30 Eastern. Is little nightcap a good, a good match up here we have wolves Nuggets at 10:30.

[Dave DeFore]

How much eggnog are you gonna have by that time of night, Andrew?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

You guys, you guys are eggnog people.

[Dave DeFore]

How much are you an eggnog?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Not much of a nog man.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I'm not much of a nog guy either.

[Dave DeFore]

And I switched to silk nog.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I switched to silk nog. Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

I like eggnog. It's good.

[Andrew Schlecht]

All right, tell me, tell me about this matchup, Dave. What, what's the most interesting thing to you here?

[Dave DeFore]

Well, I mean, the Wolves are Nuggets killers, Right. They were built in a lab to.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Beat the Denver Nuggets season. But yes, traditionally.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Traditionally, yes.

[Dave DeFore]

But, but this year what we're going to see is that the Nuggets are going to be down two starters. Right. Christian Brown, Aaron Gordon, both out.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

Even though they've had so much success to start the season, it was the best start in Nuggets history. I just think that when you, when you've seen them play some of the better teams, we just watched them play a couple of tough games against the Rockets. Losing one of those. The, the Wolves kind of get up for these big games. You know, we saw them beat the Thunder just, absolutely, just last week.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

I, I, this is, this is going to be a, I believe probably the second best game of the day just given the stakes and the, and the fact that we're seeing these teams mostly healthy again. Brown and Gordon being out hasn't really limited the Nuggets as much as it's felt like because they found some guys, you know.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, I think that just what Jamal Murray has been doing as a two way guy the last few weeks, I mean, he was Western Conference player of the week a couple weeks ago. We know the offense from him. But he's actually improved and stepped up defensively in ways that I didn't expect him to here in the last.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Well, he looks healthier, right?

[Dave DeFore]

He does. Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I think, I think above all else, he just looks healthier. I keep remembering the times Team Canada during the Olympics and he just, he looked like a shell of himself. And so you wondered whether he would be able to like keep going as a premier player in the league. But I think he's an all star this year. I think he's probably going to get that nod.

[Andrew Schlecht]

First time all Star Jamal Murray.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

First time all Star.

[Dave DeFore]

We said he need, he had to do it.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

S. Absolutely.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

This, he was going to be the guy to take them to that next level this season, and I think he's done that. This is also the number one offense in the league going up against the Timberwolves. That I think is a very, very good defense. So if you want stylistically a cool matchup, it's the fact that the Timberwolves have the perimeter defenders. They obviously have Rudy Gobert in the back line, and then you have Jokic trying to dissect that all game. I think that's a perfect matchup to watch at the end of the night.

[Dave DeFore]

And here's the thing about this. If it gets close, if we get a close matchup, we know what Jokic is last five minutes of a game. But Anthony Edwards, we got to start talking about what he does in the game, the way he closed out the Thunder with that block, step back three and steal sequence to. To finish them off. I mean, he does and he's not scared of it. So hopefully we get a close game with a finish. No fouling up three guys.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Please, please, can we get an ant ornament? You know, little.

[Andrew Schlecht]

There's got to be. We can talk more ant here shortly.

[Dave DeFore]

Hanging from your Christmas tree.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Who's this?

[Dave DeFore]

The Slim Reaper.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

The Slim Reaper.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Slim Reaper. Let's go. Look at that.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That's cool.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, that's a cool. Okay, we got rockets, Lakers, 8 o' clock Eastern Time. Man, this Lakers hat's cool. It's large market bias here with the cool hat here.

[Dave DeFore]

That's an old school. You know what? Yeah, I'm gonna need.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, the Knicks and Lakers hats. There's something going on there. NBA, you guys sent some really cool Knicks and Lakers hats. I want to wear those a lot more than this. No shade at the Rockets hat. But like, this is, you know, that's.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

A draft hat right there.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, that looks like the Lakers hat from Fletch.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Right? That's cool. Okay. I don't know who will be healthy for the Lakers on Christmas Day. That. That to me is going to be the. The biggest thing is who is actually going to go. But let's. Let's preview this matchup. S. What. What's the most interesting thing to you from the. From the rocket side of this?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

The fact that they are, like getting to the point where Reed shepherd is their starting point guard. He's been really exciting to watch over the last couple weeks and we've talked about it on this podcast, but it just feels like he's come into his own confidence wise. He's not afraid to shoot it, the screening ability of Stephen Adams and Alper and Sengun has really opened up his off the dribble game and off the bounce game.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Totally.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I think, you know, he's like, they, they won't go as far as Reed shepherd takes them, but he is definitely a difference maker and an X factor for them to their end goals this season because we don't know Fred Van Bleed's going to come back. We don't know if he'll be there for the playoffs. But if Reed shepherd is this, they have a nice supplementary player to provide exactly what he, he brings on the court. So that's the thing I'm looking for. It's like can he along with KD and Shangun really pressure this Lakers defense? Which by the way Lakers, for how good they've been offensively have been bad defensively.

[Dave DeFore]

Atrocious.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Sure.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

And it's, this is like a one sided basketball team and the Rockets are much more than that. They know how to score. They obviously are very good defensively. I just, I'm very curious to see how the Lakers try and guard this team if they can at all.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, the one thing working in their advantage is that the Rockets don't shoot a ton of threes.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

And so if you can guard the three point line, you know, I mean you can at least hang in the game. And especially if, if the Lakers are healthy, we know that they can score. They don't shoot a ton of threes either, but they've got enough guys that can get to the line and create open looks. So that's the one thing is that I feel like the Lakers can score with the Rockets.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

How many times have LeBron and KD played on Christmas together against each other? It has to be like, yeah, against each other. It must be like, I don't know, five times. Something along the lines of that they, oh, STEPH Curry and LeBron have played each other five times.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, yeah. That makes that, that, that is a real rivalry. I never thought about KD versus LeBron as any sort of rivalry, but the, the Lakers can score. It's just the Rockets can actually defend. So I think I trust the Rockets to get more stops. Obviously the rebounding advantage goes to the Rockets because they're the best rebounding team maybe in the league. And I don't know, the Lakers, they are missing something and maybe a couple of somethings. I'm not sure exactly how you, how you fill this roster out.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Perimeter defender, defender.

[Dave DeFore]

They need to be easier said than done. When you've got Three spots filled up by guys who were, let's face it, below average on. On the perimeter. So, you know, and I just don't know how you, how you round this out. Like, they almost need an upgrade at two spots. And I would. I would argue deandre Ayton is having a decent season, but it's not good enough. Yeah, yeah, but he's not good enough.

[Andrew Schlecht]

No.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Well, he's not good defensively, right enough.

[Dave DeFore]

You need like an all NBA defender. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Like if Chet Holmgren was back there or Wemby or even Go Bear. You know what I mean? Like, that type of rim protector is what they need, and obviously they don't have that, so.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. All right, we're going to rapid fire through the rest of these since we've gone over every game that kind of worked out.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Let's go.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Spider Man, I'm taking that one.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, I'll send this one to you, too.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

This is actually nerd comic ones I'm going to take here.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Donovan Mitchell has had, despite the Cavs not being very good, he's. He's having a really nice season. I mean, he's having an all star, you know, all NBA type of season, even though the Cavs aren't playing well.

[Dave DeFore]

So let me ask you guys a question, because I think we all know that, again, the writing's on the wall for this team already. And Darius Garland is the guy that seems the most likely to move. And how do you. How do you feel about Donovan Mitchell as your point guard?

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Not.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Not like the greatest. Truthfully, I think he is much more a shooting guard, two guard guy who can create off the bounce for you. I mean, look, he's averaging 30 points right now on 50, 39, 85 shooting. It's absurd what he's doing as a scorer, but he needs help as a playmaker. I think that's the one thing we've always talked about with Donovan Mitchell is for all of his incredible scoring ability, the playmaking is still lacking. And you need another creator next to him, whether that's a guard or whether that's a wing or a big. Who can do that? I think the Cavs for a portion of time, thought Mobley could be that, but they're. I think they're very quickly realizing that Mobley is maybe more of a stationary playmaker. Not as much of a, like, creator.

[Dave DeFore]

In my play finisher.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Sure.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

So evaluation wise, what they need, they need Garland, but they need a bigger garland.

[Dave DeFore]

Right?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

You know, they need garland to be 6, 7, they're going to trade for Lamello.

[Andrew Schlecht]

This is a Lamelo thing.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, no.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay, next one. 2025. MVP.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Nice.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay. Yeah, I like it.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Even though it's purple and gold. I. I hope that they're not trying to signal a trade.

[Dave DeFore]

I was about to say. I don't know where that's coming from. Yeah, not a fan of that one. It's kind of a weird ornament.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's funny. Shay has been ridiculous. We talked a lot about it on the show that dropped Tuesday morning, but Shay has had. He's having an MVP caliber season again.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

We couldn't do a Canadian flag for Shay.

[Andrew Schlecht]

He's even better. I mean, that would. That'd be appropriate. Certainly that would be appropriate. Although would it be for Dort or Jamal Murray?

[Dave DeFore]

I don't know.

[Earn In Advertiser]

Sure.

[Dave DeFore]

Sure.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. I don't know. Can you see this? Can you see what's on this?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

No, not at all.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Little bitty ants. Oh, there you go.

[Dave DeFore]

Sugar cube.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

No.

[Dave DeFore]

What is that?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Just.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Just on an ornament. Just regular ornament.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Just. Just your run of the mill ant ornament.

[Dave DeFore]

Do they not make a huge ant?

[Earn In Advertiser]

Like.

[Dave DeFore]

Like a sculpture of an ant?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Like, you know what?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

You know, these are awesome.

[Dave DeFore]

I don't know.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I don't know the answer to that. But he certainly is must see tv. I. I hope that like you said earlier, that we get a close game and that we get to see ants. I think.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I think we will. The king, right? LeBron James.

[Andrew Schlecht]

LeBron, who actually offensively has been playing better recently. Some of it because he has to. And if he doesn't, this team doesn't score, you know, 80 points. So. But he's looked more like himself recently. So I. I expect to see some big things from LeBron on Christmas Day. Even though he is playing a really tough Houston Rockets team. Let's see. I think that might be it. Oh, look at this.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, you got a wine bottle.

[Andrew Schlecht]

We got a little cabernet here. Kendall Jackson, NBA bottle right here. Wow. Check this out.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I thought you said, like, Kendall Marshall. Like Lakers legend Kendall Marshall. He's making wine.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Did you not know that Kendall Marshall is doing wine these days?

[Dave DeFore]

Everybody is.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Everybody is.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That is true.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Thank you to the NBA for supporting.

[Andrew Schlecht]

This is very fun. Okay, after. After a quick break, we're gonna look at some Christmas past and use some photos to help us do that. We'll be right back. Hey, Andrew Schlecht here. The NBA on Prime is back this Friday with another action pack double header. The night starts with Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics going toe to toe.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

With Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers. Then James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers head north to face Jrue Holiday and the Portland Trail Blazers.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And if you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Sign up for a 30 day free.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Trial and get started today. The Celtics and Pacers, the Clippers and Blazers.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Not gonna lie, I'm really intrigued by.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

The Blazers this year. If you haven't had a chance to watch them, watching them on prime is.

[Andrew Schlecht]

A really, really good chance to.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

They've got some intriguing young players, young Han Sen. You can watch Shaden Sharp continue to hone his craft. And obviously Drew Holiday leads the pack. And then Jaylen Brown's having a special season. You guys need to watch him against the Pacers. Coverage starts Friday. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. What if sports were traded like markets Now? You can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Rob Robinhood Prediction Markets. It's not you against the house, it's you participating in a live market. You can buy or sell your positions live all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robinhood Prediction Markets changes the game. It's people moving the action so when momentum shifts, you can move with it. I always knew the game, but I never had a dynamic way to apply the knowledge. Now I can actually take part. Live in a market powered by people, you're no longer just a spectator. Play by play, you decide. Trade every play with Robinhood now available across the U.S. download the Robinhood app now to begin future and cleared swaps.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Events contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Llc, a registered Futures Commission merchant and swap trademark.

[Dave DeFore]

This holiday season, Capital One reminds you.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

To give yourself the gift of 1.5% cash back with the Capital One Quicksilver Card. Can I earn 1.5% cash back on birds?

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Birds?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

What if you sent your true love two turtle doves plus a partridge and a pear tree? Sure, but why would anyone want that? The song was very convincing. Earn 1.5% cash back on all your holidays purchases with the Capital One Quicksilver Card. What's in your wallet?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Terms apply. See capital1.com for details. All right, and we're back after that quick break. We're going to look at some photos. So this is very I'm going to try to describe these, but this is very much a visual thing for part two. So again, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you're listening on the show, we'll do our best to describe these as we go. So I'm going to show you a photo and you tell me what you. What. What memories are sparked by these photos. So this first one that I'm showing you, this is a very young LeBron James. How young? Who's to say? Do you guys. This is spark. Any memories for you guys?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, man.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Being guarded by Orlando, Keith Bogan.

[Dave DeFore]

Wow.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And Pinstripe. And a pinstripe uniform.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, the Pinstripe Magic uniforms. Really? That, like, is Tracy McGrady era for me.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It is. You know, it absolutely is.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, that's the thing is like, yeah, it's really Penny era, but, you know.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, you can imagine this too. And you should imagine T Mac in this because this is from December 25, 2003. Rookie Lebr 1, 34 points, 6 assists in his Christmas debut against T 34. TMac in this one, by the way, 4111 or 418 and 11.

[Dave DeFore]

Wow.

[Andrew Schlecht]

For the Magic. He was unbelievable. Kind of a forgotten guy a little bit tmac.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, he is. But he. He was. So it's because of the injuries, right? I. I think that's why he's. He's forgotten a little bit. But I think if you ask a lot of the players that played in that era.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

They will point to T Mac as one of the best ever. I think Kobe even was like, that was the hardest guard he ever had to guard, so.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. And also not advancing in the playoffs was like a huge.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, the first round stuff for sure. Made it to the finals with the spurs, right?

[Earn In Advertiser]

Was.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

It.

[Dave DeFore]

Was that.

[Andrew Schlecht]

But yeah. Does that count? Not really. Okay. All right, next one. Can you see this? Can you see who this is?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

I know that is a Nuggets uniform and that is Kevin Durant on the other side shooting this basketball.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, this is. This is J.R. smith guarding.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, wow.

[Andrew Schlecht]

KD in OKC. This is in 2010. So Durant scored a game high 44 points.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Wow.

[Andrew Schlecht]

On a. He was 44 points on 14 of 20 from the field in 2010 on Christmas Day against the Nuggets.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

That.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That old Thunder. Nuggets rivalry was real. Like, that Nuggets team would take it to the Thunder in the regular season. They really would.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

And now it's reignited Nuggets Thunder.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's right. We're back.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

We're back.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay. You should remember this. I mean, come on.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

This is Kyrie Irving against the Golden State Warriors.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Can you see that's? Kevin down there in the blue uniform?

[Dave DeFore]

Yep.

[Andrew Schlecht]

He's being defended by Klay Thompson. You guys remember this?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yes, I remember the shot. I love those jerseys. Bring back the Christmas jerseys. Those are awesome.

[Dave DeFore]

What about the T shirt ones?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

No.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Dave, come on.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

No.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Get out of here.

[Dave DeFore]

No more. Last night on league or the other night on league. Pass. I was watching and there was a whole highlight reel of the Heat vs Lakers Christmas Day with the T shirts. And it's just Dwyane Wade tossing up 40 foot lobs to LeBron and LeBron dunking on every single Laker. It was a. It was amazing. It really.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Kendall Marshall probably played in that game, so maybe.

[Dave DeFore]

So this is season. He played with Mike d' Antoni and.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Amazing. Yeah. Mike d' Antoni unlocks everyone. Chris Duhan, I'm going to steer you.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Back away from Chris Duhan and back to this photo, Dave. December 25, 2016. This is Kyrie Irving's turnaround jumper over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left that lifted the Cavs to a 109, 108 victory over the Golden State Warriors. This is a big deal. Just because beating the warriors in any game was a big deal. And Kyrie doing this. I don't know if you remember this, but Russell Westbrook was caught on camera yelling thank you, Kyrie as he was running through the tunnel in OKC after he warmed up.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, that's incredible.

[Andrew Schlecht]

But. And I think they had to. That Thunder media drew straws as to who was going to ask Russell about this. And Fred, our buddy Fred Katz drew the short end of the stick here and it was. He asked him about it and as you can imagine, Russell was not very happy.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And he. I can't remember. Oh, he said he was saying thank you, Jamie, because he was yelling at somebody else, but he definitely said, thank you, Kyrie. Okay. Yeah. That was an amazing game. Amazing game, this one.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That is Jokic versus the Phoenix Suns. It is also good Suns jerseys, by the way.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, great Suns jerseys.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

That's last year year, right?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Or two years.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Two years ago.

[Dave DeFore]

Isn't that DeAndre Aiden?

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's DeAndre Aiden. There's Chris Paul.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Never mind.

[Andrew Schlecht]

This is from December 25, 2022. Jokic had a 41, 15 and 15 game. That was an overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns in 2022. Unbelievable. A really good Phoenix team, by the way.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, yeah, listen. That was DeAndre Aiden's best year as a pro. And then also the year that broke him.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep, yep, yep. Okay. This one Brunson burner. The Brunson burner. In 2023, he scored a game high 38 points and a Knicks victory over the Bucks at Madison Square Garden, which at the time was the most by a Knicks player on Christmas since Bernard King's 60 point game in 84.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

He's going to beat that this year.

[Dave DeFore]

Not 60.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

He's going to get. He's going to beat 38.

[Dave DeFore]

What if he goes for 61?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Sure. Okay.

[Podcast Co-host 1]

Let's see.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, the Cavs have not been guarding well and like we just talked about it, Brunson is one of the best scorers in the league. Yeah. Why not?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. Mavs fans go home for 45 points. Go hide. Mavs fans go away for a little bit.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, God.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Turn the. Turn off the pod. Ok, I will never say this except for now. Turn off the pod. Mass fans, you don't want to see this.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, that's tough.

[Andrew Schlecht]

This is from 2023. Do you guys remember how many points Luca scored against the Suns on Christmas Day in 2023?

[Podcast Co-host 2]

No clue. But I'm gonna guess 45.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Higher.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

55.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Lower.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

50.

[Andrew Schlecht]

50. He scored 50 on Christmas Day where the Mavs beat the Suns in 2023. Not that long ago.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And Luca absolutely took it to him in that game. Unbelievable.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah. Luca always takes it to the Suns.

[Dave DeFore]

He.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Oh, he. It's like a.

[Dave DeFore]

He has a personal thing with Devin Booker.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Absolutely has a personal thing. Well, also because the Suns could have drafted him, right?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. And they.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

They.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay. But Luca didn't go to the University of Arizona.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So fair. You can't expect.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah. Son's head coach at that point. Lucas head coach or something along the lines.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So many ties to Luca.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

There were a lot of.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The Kings had ties to Luca, the Sunset ties to Luca and yet everyone decided not to take him.

[Dave DeFore]

Kings had negative ties to Luca and the Suns had positive ties to the University of Arizona. We can all understand, right?

[Andrew Schlecht]

It's true. It's true. All right, last one.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Steph Curry.

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Steph Curry on Christmas Day only a year ago.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Yeah, that's Cam Reddish.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Andrew Schlecht]

There's Dalton Connect trying to guard Steph Curry. Listen, that's how it'll feel for the.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Rockets and Lakers game. By the way, them trying to guard Reed shepherd will be similar to.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay, wow.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, it might. Honestly, this could be the Mavericks trying.

[Andrew Schlecht]

To guard Steph though. This could be the Mavericks trying to. I mean, because he had. You remember how many threes he had. This actually tied a record for the most threes made on Christmas Day. You guys know.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

No, I'm going to say 11.

[Andrew Schlecht]

11 is too many. Eight.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Okay.

[Andrew Schlecht]

He had eight threes on Christmas Day, which is a record for the most three pointers made. He had 38 points against the Lakers.

[Dave DeFore]

He's going to break that. He's going to break that record.

[Andrew Schlecht]

On he's going to need to, he's going to need to break this is.

[Podcast Co-host 2]

Gearing up to be an all time Christmas.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, you know what? S it's an all time season for whatever reason, it's been an all time season for offense. So I expect Christmas Day to be an offensive explorer.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, fair enough. It's going to be a delight. Thank you guys for tuning in to the NBA Daily. Sincerely. It means the world to us that you guys tune in to us every single day. We, we see your comments, we see even just the download numbers have been have been great. The support that we have is tremendous. We couldn't do without you. So we just want to say first, thank you guys for that. I want to say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to everybody out there listening. Hope you guys enjoy it. Take the time, watch basketball, but take time with your family and your friends to just enjoy this time of year. We will not be back with another episode until next week. We will have we have an episode that's going to air that has Sam Amick and Steve Kerr from the Athletic show. So we will air that on Friday. So give that. If you haven't listened to that or watched that yet, we're going to give you a chance to do that here on the NBA Daily feed. So give that a listen on Friday. But we're going to take a little bit of a break and we'll be back on Monday. So we appreciate you guys listening. Merry Christmas and we'll talk to you guys again on Monday. Want to turn challenges into chances. Go digital enterprise and adapt to every change by combining the real and digital worlds. Transform the everyday with Siemens with no.

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[Podcast Co-host 2]

If.

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[Dave DeFore]

Terms apply. Lounge access is subject to change. See capitalone.com for details.

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