The NBA’s Christmas Day slate features five games, four MVPs, three All-Stars making their holiday debuts, two 17-time champions and a partridge in a pear tree. There is something for everyone. Allow me to explain.
For the avid fan
The Heat made a remarkable run through the Eastern Conference in Orlando, keyed by Jimmy Butler’s superstar turn, Bam Adebayo’s rise, Tyler Herro’s emergence and Goran Dragic’s resurgence, but there is some concern that the fifth seed’s performance was an anomaly made possible by the quirks of the restart.