NBA Xmas Day Games: Top 10 Plays

since i don't have both basketball tv and nba tv premium at home, i was only able to watch two games today: lakers-bulls (i skipped 2nd quarter til mid 3rd quarter due to morning basketball, then the end of 4th quarter due to some home errands) and mavs-heat (which was aired on a delayed basis). nonetheless, watching our favorite nba stars at work brought good tidings to those who have been waiting for the nba after its infamous lockout.

regarding the lakers-bulls game, the end didn't come much of a surprise for me, knowing that kobe bryant will go on hero-mode only to be guarded by four red shirts and get blocked in the end. i am no kobe bryant fan and i will never be one, and this game just proves that when the game is on the line, he thinks of himself more than his teammates. it will still be worth watching if mike brown's system can fit into the lakers. remember that he only had one play in cleveland: pass the ball to lebron james and let him create by himself. though they have pau gasol in the lineup, if kobe will continue calling the plays like he did in several timeouts during the game, i don't see any difference with the cavs' fate during brown's tenureship.

regaring the bulls, when did derrick rose become a jumpshooter?! yes, he may have made that game winning teardrop, but he has to slash more and find open teammates for easy attempts. rip hamilton and carlos boozer were not very effective, but just like last season, the bulls' barometer is luol deng. if he plays solid down the stretch, expect the bulls to pick up the victory. but i like how the bulls defended well during the last three minutes or so of the game, as they forced turnovers and made baskets to cut down and eventually grab the lead. or maybe, they just got lucky that the lakers missed several free throws in the dying seconds and a bit of good luck on the part of the referee's whistle.

the miami heat foiled the dallas mavericks' opening day campaign, which started with a ring ceremony and the banner raising at the start of the game. of course, that sucks for the heat who have been erased last season from being favorites to win the title to choking in the fourth quarter. lebron james and dwayne wade continued to play good music together with their unselfish plays and alley-hoops. but like the bulls, the heat's success relies greatly on how chris bosh performs. he did not perform relatively well this game but lebron and wade have to get the third man of the big three to contribute to their cause. and like last year, miami is one big donut - with no real center effective enough to hold the fort against attackers. they might have lebron and wade swatting and bosh taking care of the boards, but a young talented big man might be their ticket to give miami its second nba title.

finally, the dallas mavericks looked downgraded in this game. they lost tyson chandler in the middle and deshawn stevenson as an alternate defender to lebron. they might have added vince carter and lamar odom to the mix, but a solid big man who will grab the boards and hustle to swat balls was that which made the difference in the finals last season. drik nowitzki was decent, jason kidd still has gas left in the tank, and jason terry was the reliable off the bench spark for the mavericks, but their heroics were not good enough to claim the victory after catching up a 35 point lead in the second half. but this was just the first game of the season: miami might have won it, but dallas won it when it mattered the most. but that was last season, and we'll have to wait on how the teams pen their own journeys and stories until the end of the season.