Subscribe
Follow Us
Dwyane Wade offered a potential alternative to how Christmas Day games should be played. A quick look at the five-game slate shows there are teams that might not make the best show for the fans.
While matchups like Celtics vs. Raptors, Bucks vs. 76ers, and the primetime showdown of Clippers vs. Lakers are quite formidable, the NBA could have a hard time interesting people in Rockets vs. Warriors and Pelicans vs. Nuggets, considering the absences of Stephen Curry and no Zion Williamson, respectively.
Wade shot his proposal over Twitter, urging the NBA to reward the teams that are playing well with Christmas Day games:
“Christmas games should be earned. Let’s have an element of surprise in the schedule. The teams that are playing well are the ones that needs to be playing on Christmas Day. Reward the teams just like we reward players with an in-season All-Star game.”
Wade isn't the first one to have this thought, but the logistics of it are not kind to the element of surprise.
The NBA rolls out a schedule long before the start of the regular season, allowing for teams to plan travel, hotel accommodations, practice schedules, etc., while players plan visits to family, friends, endorsement opportunities, business meetings, sightseeing, and plenty of other activities.
The league chose matchups like Rockets vs. Warriors anticipating players like Curry and James Harden would be healthy to match up against one another, and the same goes with Williamson — there is no backup plan to long-term injuries, and the fans will have to deal with such repercussions.
There is no fool-proof way to mend the Christmas Day schedule as of now, and Dwyane Wade might be suffering from a bit of fan perspective, despite spending 16 years in the league and being part of many of those Christmas Day matchups during his long stint in the NBA.
