NBA Christmas Day roundtable: Holiday showcase for contenders

Normally, this would mark a time for the NBA to bask in some holiday cheer.

But with games postponed because of a significant increase in players entering the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols, concerns about the state of the league’s season have taken center stage over the annual slate of marquee nationally televised Christmas Day games.

Some of those matchups could lose its appeal because of star player absences. But the games will still proceed as planned. And even given fluid developments among more pressing matters, there are still some intriguing storylines.

NBA TV analyst Greg Anthony and ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke spoke to NBA.com about some of those topics. ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose also participated in a conference call this week to talk about the games, as well. Below is a portion of that Q&A, which has been edited for brevity and clarity. 

Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (12 ET, ESPN)

Where do the Hawks and Knicks fit in the Eastern Conference landscape?

Anthony: “There are four teams that have a legit chance to win it. Some of that has just changed. Some people came in thinking Atlanta might be a team that could make a jump. Right now, they’re not even in the play-in. A lot of basketball left, but they’re not there. I think Chicago with how DeMar DeRozan is playing … we hear about him as an MVP candidate kind of in passing. He should be closer to one than the five. Then you throw in Zach LaVine, and now they’re starting to get some consistency from Nikola Vucevic, they’re going to be in that conversation. I feel like Milwaukee and Miami are two teams that will be there. I think Cleveland is an incredible story and is legit. They’re a good basketball team. You don’t just do what they have done for over a third of the season now and not be really good. But from a playoff standpoint, I don’t know if they’ll have the playoff experience. They won’t be a contender. But Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland will be the four best teams barring injury. I feel like everyone else is just looking up.”

Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (2:30 ET, ABC)

 Where do the Celtics fit in the East? 

 Burke: “I’ve heard these conversations bubble up on if Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can play together, if this is long term and is this the future of the Celtics. I just want to say, ‘Can we just slow our roll a little bit?’ Jaylen Brown has missed [almost] half of the games under a brand new coach, who is coaching for the first time and trying to implement a system that’s totally different or has significant differences from Brad Stevens. You have two guys who are elite at the most coveted position in basketball. Everybody wants two-way wings. Both Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum can post a mismatch. They can be a vertical threat and put a ton of pressure on you in transition. Jayson Tatum is third in points per game before the age of 24 behind Larry Bird and Paul Pierce. Let’s give Ime [Udoka] and these two young stars a little bit more time in a new environment.

Let’s remember their history, too. They’ve been to the Conference Finals together. I understand the immediacy and the impatience of success and failure in the NBA. But as this group goes and particularly those two young guys, I would just love to see a little bit of patience here. I don’t know the answer, either. We have to give it more time to figure it out. … There are two things that really concern me about the Celtics. No. 1, I think they could use a lot more shooting. No. 2, they need more productivity from their bench.”

Do the Bucks have what it takes to repeat?

Burke: “Milwaukee is a formidable defending champion and shouldn’t be overlooked in their hopes to repeat. It would be a mistake to underestimate them. … They achieved an NBA championship last season without one of their starters in Donte DiVincenzo. Donte is exceptional on the defensive end. He had started to find his rhythm and his place on the offensive end of the floor as well. Let’s just remember they did that without one of their starters. That personnel will find its way back. In the meantime, you have added Grayson Allen, who has been playing phenomenal basketball.

This is a critical component of what I believe to be their ultimate success: Brook Lopez. There is optimism within the Milwaukee organization that Brook will make his way back this season. You think about what Brook has done. I think it totally would have been unexpected when he first came into the league. But he has been the anchor of one of the league’s best and most consistent defenses over the last several years.

Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns (5:00 ET, ABC)

Who’s better: Warriors or Suns?

Anthony: “What Golden State has done is pretty remarkable. If you think about it, to have a team where Steph Curry is in essence having career lows in numbers across the board and you’re still a one seed, that’s an incredible story to tell for Steve Kerr and the developing of their young guys and how they have bought in. Having said that, Phoenix is the best team based off how the Suns did it last year and what they’re doing in response to that this year. They’re the team to beat.

Burke: “When you consider and put the Warriors’ success this season in light of where they were a season ago, to me, that enhances what they’ve done. I had just done a piece with Draymond Green, and I had asked him about the defense being this good, this fast. Going out there for the piece, one of the things Steve Kerr said to me was how critical Draymond’s experience with USA Basketball was for a couple of reasons. You stay sharp with your skills. You stay sharp with your mind. And you stay sharp with your conditioning. The other thing that happened is they won. That feeling of winning and what winning requires. That was ever present in Draymond Green’s mind. Steve said they just hit the ground running defensively. It’s made all the difference in the world.

The Jordan Poole storyline is really incredible. He’s a young guy who probably earned the trust of Draymond and Steph as they were making that run toward what they hoped would be a playoff berth. Then to see that young man carry over it and arrive at a place where they know he belongs — not only that he belongs, but can score at a high level, it’s been so critical to what they’ve done. It’s hard to pick between those two teams on who has been more impressive. But just in light with where Golden State was a year ago, I would have to give them the nod.

Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers (8 ET, ABC) 

What do you make of the Nets allowing Kyrie Irving being back with the team despite being unvaccinated and only available for road games (with exception to New York Knicks & Golden State Warriors)?

Anthony: “That should’ve been the case all along. But once they made that decision, it was a little surprising [they changed]. I don’t think that was a decision that was made in the best interest of their team. I know what they said initially. But based on the fact that they had to walk that back, that speaks to that. It’s just a matter of seeing how long it takes to get him integrated and then what’s the transition of playing and not playing. I think it’ll be an easier transition than pre-pandemic because we get this a lot now. You have guys knowing they’re not going to play an hour and a half or two hours before the game. That creates a completely different dynamic that teams have had to get used to. So that helps Brooklyn in that regard since they had been going through it with [James] Harden and [Kevin] Durant.”

Rose: “It’s a good decision for the Nets for the simple reason that you’re paying him. anyway. You’re paying 50 percent of his salary not to participate. It could be an issue; except he has the buy-in from KD. Since he has that, the organization has to basically allow Kyrie to play in 50% of the games. I don’t think it’s a heroic act that he decided not to get vaccinated and chose not to perform with his team. However, at this point, the Nets have dealt with so many injuries.

The other point that I also want to make is this unlocks James Harden. He has been in a funk based on the fact that he came to be a part of the Big 3 and Kyrie isn’t participating because he chose not to get vaccinated. When you get Kyrie back into the fold, you keep KD happy and keep his minutes down and take pressure off of him. You get a Harden that is back motivated. You have a team that is not just the No. 1 team in the conference. But now they’re my favorite to win the conference, even if Kyrie is part time.”

Will the Lakers become more than a team just hovering above .500?

Anthony: “The Lakers are an enigma. It looks like on paper that they could really be special. But when you watch them, they’re an older team. Right now, they’re too mistake prone on both sides of the ball. They’re playing like a team that has been in the league for two or three years and they’re a young, upstart group and are trying to prove they can compete. But when you look at them, they’ve got some of the best talent ever assembled. Yet, they play some of the lowest IQ basketball that you’ll ever see.”

Burke: “When you’re as experienced as LeBron is, you do have the ability to understand that the 82-game stretch is a marathon. Sometimes if you have enough talent, seeding is not that important. In an ideal world, I’m sure for them they’d want to be at the top of the Western Conference standings. That’s not how games are playing out. But I’m extremely confident in this. LeBron James will continue to do what he has done throughout his tenure in the league. That’s put in the time before games and after games. He’s on this incredible calendar of understanding what his body and mind need in the course of an 82-game season, no matter what is thrown at him. His ability to stay the course is an understated strength of his.”

Rose: “It’s unfortunate LeBron James has to play so many heavy minutes and be so productive during the regular season. All that is going to do is tax him until the season progresses The Lakers are going to have a low seed. I definitely don’t see this team winning the West. That’s even with a healthy Anthony Davis. They put all of their chips in the middle of the table. Their goal was to win a championship for LeBron, and they did. But when they did that, they get older, not younger. You lose younger talent: Julius Randle. Brandon Ingram. Alex Caruso. Lonzo Ball. Josh Hart. You have to lose all of those players in order to get that championship. So now that they have that championship, this is the residue of it.”

Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz (10:30 ET, ESPN)

Can Utah rectify its playoff shortcomings?

Anthony: “I like Utah a lot. They’re going to win a lot of games. But I think their style is the most limited offensively of the elite teams. They have to rely on guys that aren’t great scorers to score. That gets tough in the postseason. That’s one of the issues for them that keeps them a notch below.”

Burke: “Very quietly, Utah is putting together another exceptional season. Everybody expects Milwaukee to get right and be a formidable threat. Obviously, the Nets’ ability to win close games undermanned and what Kevin Durant is doing is captivating. Then you have the two teams in Golden State and Phoenix that have separated themselves in the West. In most people’s minds, they are best positioned. But Utah is dangerous offensively.

I think they have gotten scars required from past playoff failures. I don’t know if we’re paying enough attention to them as a legitimate threat. But that last game on the docket is something I’m anxious to watch. On Christmas Day, it’s a big deal. I love watching Utah play. I think they’re so much fun. I think they’re legit.”

What’s holding the Mavericks back from being one of the top contenders in the West?

Anthony: “Luka [Doncic] is a special talent, but not playing as well. [Kristaps] Porzingis is still trying to show us what he is. Everyone sees that ceiling may be becoming the second-best player on a championship contender. But quite frankly, he hasn’t shown that, either. They don’t have a lot of depth. Talent wise, they just don’t stack up. They still have to figure it out. Remember, their best player is still really young. So, it’s not uncommon this would be the case at this stage.”