Christmas Day has become the unofficial start of the NBA season during recent years, a secondary opening day when the casual fan finally tune into basketball after a fall spent with the NFL.
As a result, Christmas games hold an extra level of importance. Playing on the holiday is a status symbol for NBA teams. Even if the Knicks somehow always end up in your Christmas stocking, generally the teams who have demonstrated a measure of success earn a slot on the league’s flagship holiday.
Christmas Day is also one of first chances for many teams to showcase themselves on national television — after all, Christmas is the first time of the year when games are available on ABC, for all the world to see.