By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

For the second year in a row, Christmas is a working holiday for the Celtics.  The best in the NBA get to showcase their stuff on Christmas.  It’s a national showcase for the league and big games and great matchups are a tremendous tradition that NBA fans look forward to every year.

This Christmas is no exception.  The Celtics will be in Orlando tangling with the Magic.  This is of course a rematch of last year’s terrific second round series that saw Orlando win game 7 in Boston.  Both teams are atop their respective divisions and playoff positioning down the road is always a consideration when these two teams meet in the regular season.

Should be a fun game.  It’s always great seeing Dwight Howard battle it out with Kevin Garnett.  The Vince Carter vs. Paul Pierce matchup is also very intriguing.  Both players came into the league together as rookies.  Carter was selected 5^th in the 1998 NBA Draft and Pierce 10^th.  Since then they both have been successful, but Pierce has a title and NBA Finals MVP on his resume while Carter hasn’t gotten past the 2^nd round.  The Magic are by far the best team he’s ever been on, so the pressure is on to help them advance deep in the playoffs once again.  Expect an entertaining game to spice up your Christmas Day afternoon.

After the Celtics game, sit back and enjoy two of the best players the league has to offer.  The Lakers host the Cavs in what should bea game with plenty of fireworks.  The Kobe vs. LeBron battle is always worth watching, but this will also be the first time Shaq takes on the Lakers as a member of the Cavs.  He hasn’t done much this season, is starting to become irrelevant.  A good game on Christmas could turn his season around.

The other holiday games aren’t too shabby either.  Heat vs. Knicks at noon is by far the worst, but watching Dwayne Wade is always a good take. Not sure why the Knicks would want to make their fans sad on Christmas of all days. The entirety of a season is bad enough.

The night doubleheader features the Clippers at the Suns and then the Nuggets at the Blazers.  The Suns have been a pleasant surprise so far this season and are still one of the most exciting teams to watch as they have been for most of the decade.  Meanwhile the Clippers have talent and are flirting with the .500 mark.  The final game between the Nuggets and Blazers is a matchup of the two best teams in the Northwest Division.  Denver is following up last year’s run to the Western Conference Finals with a good start to this season.  Carmelo Anthony is putting up MVP numbers and is playing like a man on a mission.  Brandon Roy is having another excellent season for Portland who is again without Greg Oden who may be out for the season with a knee injury.

So after you open up presents and enjoy a good meal, tune in for some great NBA action.  It’s one gift you won’t want to return.  Mostly because you can’t.

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