Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon. This is Mike Sykes
NBA training camp is almost here, which means it’s almost time for us to get the league’s full schedule.
Ahead of the big schedule drop, though, we always get reports about the upcoming Christmas Day slate for the season. This, folks. This is the part of the schedule everyone is itching for. There are a couple of reasons behind that.
First, it’s when all you NFL folks are finally starting to check in with other sports. You heathens. It’s OK. We still love y’all.
Secondly, and most importantly, everyone wants to see what Christmas Day matchups we’re looking at to know exactly who is playing who. What time will LeBron and the Lakers be on? Are we getting an NBA Finals rematch? Will the league feature any young up-and-comers on the Christmas Day slate? It’s a rite of passage for the next generation.
With that in mind, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reportedly revealed this season’s upcoming slate. It’s a solid one:
- Bucks @ Knicks
- 76ers @ Heat
- Celtics @ Lakers
- Mavericks @ Suns
- Warriors @ Nuggets
Once you get past the obligatory Knicks matchup at MSG in the afternoon, this slate gets pretty interesting. Some of these games are certainly much more intriguing than others, though.
Of course, I ranked them. Let’s start with:
- Mavericks @ Suns: Obviously, these two teams are completely different than they were a couple of seasons ago when the Mavs absolutely destroyed the Suns in the playoffs. But I can’t help but feel like that rivalry is still there considering Devin Booker and Luka Doncic probably still want to rip each other’s faces off. Should be fun. Especially now that we’ve added Kevin Durant in there. Sign me up.
- Nuggets @ Warriors: Lakers fans, y’all are going to hate me for saying this. But this is the Western Conference Finals I wanted. The Warriors have always given the Nuggets a ton of problems with how they stretch Nikola Jokic on defense. We get a taste of that here. Oh, and Chris Paul is there now, too!
- Celtics @ Lakers: Both of these teams should be pretty good if healthy. I just want to see LeBron James try and get revenge on the Celtics for causing his complete meltdown last year. This was the best moment of the season, man. Give me more of that. Please.
- 76ers @ Heat: I’ll be real with y’all here. This one isn’t that interesting to me right now. BUT. There’s a but. It could be more interesting if Damian Lillard is finally on the Miami Heat by Christmas. Cue the Mariah Carey “All I want for Christmas is you” tune for the Heat fans out there.
- Bucks @ Knicks: I mean, I guess. Again, this is the obligatory MSG matchup of Christmas day. These teams are both good. But there’s not really anything interesting between them. Just give us a good game, y’all.
Sorry, Knicks fans. I promise I don’t hate your team! I just wish they were more interesting. Regardless, though, I think this will be a pretty fun Christmas Day slate. I’m surprised there’s no Victor Wembanyama on schedule.
I can’t wait to watch these games, though.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
There’s been lots of talk about which teams have the best chance to knock Team USA out of this year’s FIBA World Cup action and Greece was thought to be one of them.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo removing himself from the action, though, that probably isn’t the case anymore.
He says he’s just not physically ready after having surgery on his left knee earlier this summer, according to reporting from the AP’s Tim Reynolds.
“Everyone knows my passion and love for my national team has and never will change,” Antetokounmpo said in a statment. “Since the conclusion of my NBA season I have been pushing my body to the limits to be the player I need to be to help our team achieve the goals we set. But after months of work and multiple meetings with medical staff it is clear that I am not ready to compete in the level that I need to be to participate in the World Cup.”
We never usually see injuries sidelining Giannis. He acts like he’s Iron Man out there on the court, which is why he came back early from a back injury this postseason.
But the sobering reality is this: Antetokounmpo will be 29 years old next season. He plays a physical brand of basketball. We might need to see a lot more of this selective version of Giannis moving forward.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It may ultimately prolong his career, which is good. It’s just something to watch for as we continue to follow his career.
Shootaround
— Jayson Tatum seemed more nervous about golfing with John Rahm than he was about playing in the NBA Finals. Blake Schuster has more.
— Paul George says he’s going to be a bully next season. But can he just…play? Let’s start there. Prince Grimes has more from Wednesday.
— I ranked the best rap songs from athletes for hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Lots of basketball players on this list.
— Here’s everything you need to know about the Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2023.
That’s all, folks! Enjoy your weekend. Be kind to one another.
