Christmas at the NBA

First of all, a Merry Christmas to all! The festival season is here and the sporting world can’t hide from the joy of winter. All sports across the globe hold vacations or winter breaks for the players to spend Christmas and New Years with their families and friends, and I suppose the NBA is no different. But before the season is halted by the season’s greetings, the sport will witness some breathtaking matches.

We start on December 21, with Shaquille O’Neal traveling back to Phoenix, but this time with a well in-tuned Cleveland unit, led by the unstoppable LeBron James. Will it be a happy return for Shaq at the Suns? Or will the Cavaliers fall remain to be seen?

But come Christmas day, the world will witness one of the most anticipated clashes in recent NBA history. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers! This could very well be a sneak preview of this years’ playoff final. The return of Shaq to the Staples Center and the clash between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the thought of it just gives you goose bumps.

Many would stamp it as the battle of the heavyweights, and it surely is. The match is not less than the much anticipated non-title clash between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. The one for the title will be one for the ages. When the Lakers take on the Cavaliers, (although it won’t be for the title), the stakes will be as high as any championship. Who is the better team and who is the better man? Is it Kobe or is it LeBron?

But this time a certain Shaquille O’Neal will be backing the all conquering King. It has to be remembered that Shaq had already promised to get the King his championship ring. He might want to make a serious reminder of that promise against the team he took to new heights. Ironically, it was Shaq who put the foundation stone to Bryant’s illustrious career and is now pushing his arch nemesis to surpass Kobe Bryant’s legacy.

Another match to be played under the shadows of this titanic clash is the match between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic (Watch Boston and Orlando live on television. India TV Schedule). Now green has been the weak point of Superman all his life, considering his soft spot to be Kryptonite, and the Celtics will be all green to stop the charge of the Magic center player. The match also signifies the charge of the dark horses. As the anticipation of a Lakers-Cavaliers final builds, few predict the Celtics or the Magic having their say in the title contest.

Whatever the results of the season, this Christmas, the NBA plays Santa and gifts all its fans a day to cherish for a very long time.