By Joe Manganiello
Here are my quick, objective picks for Christmas Day games:
Celtics at Nets.
Never mind the home court advantage for the Nets. The C’s will ride out the animosity from the Rondo/Humphries altercation to the tune of a 96-89 victory.
Player of the game: Rajon Rondo, who will outscore Deron Williams and put up a triple-double.
Surprise of the game: There will not be any flagrant fouls during the game, although my shot in the dark is that Rondo will, at some point during warm ups, successfully pants Kris Humphries.
Knicks at Lakers.
L.A. is starting to get hot with all of their weapons active. I don’t think the Knicks will be able to slow the Lakers down in the Staples Center, on Christmas Day of all days. Lakers win, 101-95.
Player of the game: Steve Nash, who will out assist the entire Knicks roster.
Surprise of the game: Late in the fourth quarter, Carmelo will rise to the challenge and guard Kobe. ‘Melo will play great straight up defense, and Kobe will miss a mid-range jump shot… only to get tip slammed by Dwight Howard.
Thunder at Miami
This will be hands down the best game of the day. Look for LeBron and Durant to have some fun battles, but Westbrook will be a bit too much for the Heat to handle. Thunder by four, 96-92.
Player of the game: Westbrook will put up his season-high in points – and field goal attempts
Surprise of the game: LeBron will make a mistake or two in the fourth quarter and ESPN will choose NOT to talk about for the next 24-36 hours.
Rockets at Bulls.
Chicago shocked me by defeating the Knicks in MSG this week, but keep in mind they nearly blew the fourth quarter lead and only won by four. The Rockets have so much offense, and this is Harden’s first Christmas Day game as a franchise player. Look for the beard to flirt with 40 points and the Rockets to win, 103-91.
Player of the game: Harden, of course. But also watch out for Omar Asik to flirt with 20 rebounds in his first game back in Chicago.
Surprise of the game: Loul Deng will shoot under 25 percent for the game, as he’ll be harassed by Chandler Parsons all night long. But Deng will get the last laugh when Joakim Noah gets away with a punch to Parson’s groin, knocking him out of the game. Noah will claim it is an accident to the media, and he will not get fined.
Nuggets at Clippers
An underrated matchup that should be fast-paced and entertaining. Look for Lawson to use this game as a launchpad game trying to get back into all-star consideration. The Nuggets need this game way more than the Clippers, but I’ll take Clippers by a few points knowing that CP3 will have the ball in his hands late in the fourth. Clippers win, 107-103.
Player of the game: A fast-paced game may or may not benefit both teams, but Blake Griffin will make the Nuggets pay for keeping the tempo quick with 35 points and at least five alley-oops.
Surprise of the game: At one point in the game, DeAndre Jordan and Javale McGee will both simultaneously forget if they are playing offense or defense. For a two possessions in a row, the two young centers will actively play for the wrong team, before Chris Paul personally slaps both upside the head.
All joking aside, have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy the time with loved ones and with the NBA!
Doubling as an Oh Caption! My Caption!
“And to think Mike Brown wanted us to run Princeton.”
“And afterwards we can sit by the fire, roast marshmallows and sing kumbayah.”
The NBA where crazy works – Nash and Kobe on the floor, yet Metta brings up the ball…and it works on the back door cut. Insert Dumb and Dumber comment here.
Oklahoma City’s lack of commitment to defense is troubling.
The Grinch = The Bulls on this Christmas Day: Stink! Stank! Stunk!
On the other hand – what a difference Harden makes with the Rockets.
I was convinced that Harden wouldn’t cut it as the #1 guy on a team, but he has proven me wrong so far. I still need to see that he can maintain it over the course of a year, but he is making the Rockets look smart for the time being.