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NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently requested LeBron James hurry up his free agency decision to allow the league to move forward with its scheduling. Well, now that James announced he's signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, it's time to speculate about how the schedule will shake out on Christmas Day, the most important day of the regular season.
After 23 years in the NBA, James has plenty of storylines for the NBA to tap into on Christmas, from former teams to longtime rivals. The buzz will be there no matter who Philly plays, as the City of Brotherly Love -- along with teammates Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecomb -- is embracing him already.
Let's take a look at who the Sixers could play on Christmas, ranked by entertainment value and James' ties to the opponent.
The "coming home" narrative is getting stale after all these years, yet this could be the last time we see James on a marquee stage in Cleveland. With James Harden in town, it's safe to say the Cavs will not be providing much playoff drama.
James has plenty of playoff history against the Celtics, including his posterizing dunk over Jason Terry, plus Jaylen Brown would make his return to Boston after the infamous Paul George trade. It's a solid option but not the best.
There's not much bad blood between James and the Lakers, whose fans never truly embraced him anyway. Still, James would seemingly carry extra motivation into a game against Luka Doncic, who Los Angeles decided it'd rather build around.
The Heat were the favorite to land James for much of his free agency, yet he spurned Miami just like he did in 2014 to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won't be very popular at the Kaseya Center, and that energy presents a golden opportunity for Giannis Antetokounmpo to have a signature moment in his new city.
James and the Sixers taking on the reigning champions in Madison Square Garden would be pure cinema. To make matters even more interesting, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said this offseason James would've signed with the Knicks if they hadn't won the NBA title.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking 76ers' potential Christmas Day opponents after LeBron James signing
Continue reading...
After 23 years in the NBA, James has plenty of storylines for the NBA to tap into on Christmas, from former teams to longtime rivals. The buzz will be there no matter who Philly plays, as the City of Brotherly Love -- along with teammates Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecomb -- is embracing him already.
Let's take a look at who the Sixers could play on Christmas, ranked by entertainment value and James' ties to the opponent.
76ers' potential Christmas Day opponents, ranked
No. 5. Cleveland Cavaliers
The "coming home" narrative is getting stale after all these years, yet this could be the last time we see James on a marquee stage in Cleveland. With James Harden in town, it's safe to say the Cavs will not be providing much playoff drama.
No. 4 Boston Celtics
James has plenty of playoff history against the Celtics, including his posterizing dunk over Jason Terry, plus Jaylen Brown would make his return to Boston after the infamous Paul George trade. It's a solid option but not the best.
No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers
There's not much bad blood between James and the Lakers, whose fans never truly embraced him anyway. Still, James would seemingly carry extra motivation into a game against Luka Doncic, who Los Angeles decided it'd rather build around.
No. 2 Miami Heat
The Heat were the favorite to land James for much of his free agency, yet he spurned Miami just like he did in 2014 to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won't be very popular at the Kaseya Center, and that energy presents a golden opportunity for Giannis Antetokounmpo to have a signature moment in his new city.
No. 1 New York Knicks
James and the Sixers taking on the reigning champions in Madison Square Garden would be pure cinema. To make matters even more interesting, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said this offseason James would've signed with the Knicks if they hadn't won the NBA title.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking 76ers' potential Christmas Day opponents after LeBron James signing
Continue reading...
