Consider Saturday one of the most exciting days to watch basketball. In a highly anticipated game, James and his Heat squad will tip off against Kobe’s Lakers at 5 p.m. ET. It will be the first time the Lakers and Heat meet this year, and both teams are first in their respective divisions.
The game should be basketball at its best, especially if Bryant overcomes his finger injury (he says he’ll play). “You think I’m going to miss a game for a pinkie?” Bryant asked rhetorically, according to the L.A. Times.
Bryant vs. LeBron is not the only key matchup in the primetime Christmas game. Pau Gasol will battle with Chris Bosh in the post, and Ron Artest will try to shut down the high-scoring Dwayne Wade. It will be a tough test for the Lakers, who are facing a Miami Heat team that has won 12 of their last 13 games. Also, James is averaging 24 points per game and 7 assists per game; Bryant is averaging 25.7 points and five rebounds per game. Something’s got to give.
The Lakers seem to be part of a Christmas tradition. As Variety reports, last year’s game between the Lakers and Cleveland attracted 8.3 million viewers, while 2008 was even more impressive – “9.9 million tuned in to see the Lakers play their longtime rival, the Boston Celtics. This year’s audience could top 10 million.”
As it should. What else is there to watch, A Christmas Story for the twelfth time? At least with LeBron vs. Kobe viewers will get true reality TV, a raw battle of strength and basketball IQ. Here’s hoping this game goes to overtime to give fans even more precious minutes of this great match-up.
The Celtics-Magic rivalry will also be renewed on Saturday, when the Eastern Conferences powerhouses square off at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Magic retooled last week, adding Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Torkuglo to their already potent squad of Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. This game will be especially important to watch due to the teams’ history: it’s a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, when the Celts overcame the Magic’s powerful offense. The Celtics are likely the hottest team in the NBA – they’ve won 13 straight games, all without their leading point guard Rajon Rondo.
On Saturday, I’ll be getting my own Christmas, er, Chanukah, gift to enjoy for hours: high-energy basketball starring some of the best athletes in the world. I love this time of year.
