December 25th

[Ian Noble]

SPACINGSPACINGSPAC	SPACINGSPA	SPACINGSPA	SPACINGSPA	SPACINGSPACINGSPAC
Los Angeles Lakers	87	@	105	Miami Heat

		Min	FG	3PT	FT	TO	Blk	Stl	Reb	Ast	Pts
Jonas Valanciunas		36	5/16	0/0	1/2	1	3	0	10	3	11
Chris McCullough		29	0/2	0/1	2/3	4	0	2	5	3	2
Harrison Barnes		39	8/16	0/2	6/7	3	0	3	6	1	22
Corey Brewer		42	2/8	0/0	0/2	4	0	2	7	0	4
Kemba Walker		45	12/28	5/14	3/5	1	1	0	4	12	32
Goran Dragic		18	4/4	1/1	2/2	0	0	2	2	0	11
Aaron Brooks		6	0/3	0/1	0/0	0	0	0	2	1	0
Luis Scola		15	0/1	0/0	0/0	2	0	0	6	2	0
Jason Thompson		1	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Tolliver		0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jimmer Fredette		0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bryn Forbes		9	2/3	1/2	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Reggie Bullock		0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals			33/81	7/21	14/21	15	4	9	42	22	87
SPACINGSPACINGSPACING	S	SPAC	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC

		Min	FG	3PT	FT	TO	Blk	Stl	Reb	Ast	Pts
Dwight Howard		44	10/21	1/1	2/3	6	2	1	13	3	23
Steven Adams		33	7/16	0/1	4/5	1	1	1	11	0	18
Trevor Ariza		27	4/9	2/5	3/4	3	0	1	3	2	13
Dwyane Wade		40	8/19	1/4	5/6	2	1	3	0	7	22
Ramon Sessions		33	2/4	0/1	1/1	0	1	3	1	7	5
Trevor Booker		21	4/5	0/0	2/2	1	1	0	4	1	10
John Collins		16	1/1	0/0	0/0	1	0	0	6	0	2
Mike Dunleavy		20	4/6	2/3	2/2	1	1	0	3	8	12
Steve Novak		6	0/1	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Udonis Haslem		0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
James Jones		0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals			40/82	6/15	19/23	15	7	9	43	28	105
SPACINGSPACINGSPACING	S	SPAC	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC

SPACINGSPACINGSPAC	SPACINGSPA	SPACINGSPA	SPACINGSPA	SPACINGSPACINGSPAC
San Antonio Spurs	106	@	68	Detroit Pistons

		Min	FG	3PT	FT	TO	Blk	Stl	Reb	Ast	Pts
Al Horford		35	8/12	2/3	5/6	2	3	3	5	5	23
Kelly Olynyk		25	1/2	0/1	2/4	1	2	1	3	0	4
Rudy Gay		38	7/15	0/0	8/8	1	1	1	9	1	22
Jamal Crawford		28	0/8	0/3	2/2	2	0	1	3	8	2
Isaiah Thomas		31	11/18	5/6	6/6	0	0	0	2	6	33
Derrick Rose		15	0/3	0/0	2/2	1	0	1	1	3	2
Zach Randolph		17	2/5	0/0	3/6	2	0	1	9	0	7
Roy Hibbert		15	1/1	0/0	0/0	3	1	0	6	0	2
Randy Foye		16	1/1	1/1	2/2	0	0	1	1	2	5
Tyler Zeller		11	1/2	0/0	0/1	0	1	1	4	0	2
Joel Anthony		2	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cliff Alexander		7	2/5	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	6	0	4
Johnny O'Bryant		0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals			34/72	8/14	30/37	12	8	10	49	25	106
SPACINGSPACINGSPACING	S	SPAC	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC

		Min	FG	3PT	FT	TO	Blk	Stl	Reb	Ast	Pts
Timofey Mozgov		38	9/29	0/1	4/4	2	0	0	11	0	22
Bismack Biyombo		30	2/3	0/0	2/3	3	2	1	7	1	6
RJ Hunter		39	3/14	1/6	5/7	0	0	0	5	4	12
Alec Burks		21	1/4	1/2	1/2	3	0	1	1	2	4
Jerian Grant		38	5/12	0/1	1/1	2	0	1	3	7	11
Semaj Christon		16	0/7	0/1	0/5	0	1	2	1	3	0
Jake Layman		14	2/5	1/1	1/1	0	0	0	0	0	6
Thomas Robinson		13	0/1	0/0	0/0	2	0	0	7	0	0
Michael Gbinije		8	0/2	0/0	0/1	3	1	0	4	0	0
Jaron Blossomgame		20	2/4	2/3	0/1	1	0	0	1	0	6
Semi Ojeleye		3	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	0	1	1	0	1
Totals			24/81	5/15	15/26	16	4	6	41	17	68
SPACINGSPACINGSPACING	S	SPAC	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPACIN	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC	SPAC

[Ian Noble]

Los Angeles Lakers @ Miami Heat
San Antonio Spurs @ Detroit Pistons

[Andrei Kirilenko]

It's always a fun reminder to see who the Christmas matchups were in 2006.

Kobe and the Lakers vs. Wade/Shaq/Zo and the Heat

Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili and the Spurs vs. Chauncey, Sheed, Rip and the Pistons


Here is the excerpt from NBA.com


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Whether it's children rising early to see what Santa has brought them or bringing far-flung families closer for the holidays, Christmas never lacks for excitement or anticipation.
It's no different in the NBA as the excitement and anticipation builds for one great game on ABC Christmas Day. For a third straight year the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, guided by Pat Riley and Phil Jackson from the sidelines, take the floor for another holiday classic. This year, the Lakers travel to the home of the defending champion Heat for their 2 p.m. ET showdown.

So, get some eggnog, gather the family, fire up the brand new flat screen and this great game on Christmas.

And if that's not enough, below are 12 more reasons to tune in.


Twelve Reasons to Watch
High Def:
By 2 ET, you will have your new high-definition TV all set up. (The game is on ABC HD.) And, even if you get a little confused reconnecting the cable, you can still watch the game ... It's on the local station, too.
Streaking on Christmas:
The Heat is looking for its third straight Christmas Day win over the Lakers. The 2004 matchup was an overtime thriller and, last year, Miami got big games from former Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Gary Payton in a 97-92 victory.

Play the "I Would Get Him A ____ for Christmas" Game:
Scan through the Heat and Lakers rosters as the game plays out and see who in your family can think of the best gift for each player. For the Lakers, maybe some get-well flowers for Lamar Odom. On Miami's side, Riles could always use a new designer suit. We know what both teams really want: More championship rings. Sorry, guys. Those can't be bought; they must be earned.

Watch It In Your Pajamas:
The game is at 2, so those of us on the East Coast can linger on the couch in our robes and slippers after tearing through the Christmas presents and loaf around until tip-off. And for those West Coasters, it will be even easier to convince your family that there's no need to hurry and get dressed at 11 a.m.

Mo' 'Zo:
Shaq's injury has opened up playing time again for Alonzo Mourning, who's averaging more than 20 minutes per game for a second straight season. He ranks third in the league in blocks per game (2.65)

The Heat Dancers:
No explanation needed ... but if you feel like it, you can check out this.

New Rivalry:
This contest used to be billed as Shaq vs. Kobe, but they've made up. Now, it's a platform for us to compare perhaps the two best shooting guards in the entire league: DWade and Kobe. Last year, Wade went cold from the field, while Kobe lit it up in Miami, scoring 37 points — but he did miss all eight of his triples.

Records Are Meant To Be Broken:
The Christmas Day record for points in a game is 60 (Bernard King, 1984). Kobe could get that in three quarters. And with just 36 points, he could pass Shaq as the active leader in total Christmas points.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out:
By 2 ET, you've already watched A Christmas Story 11 times. And, even though Lakers-Heat is as much a Christmas tradition by now, you can't predict the next play like you can recite, "The coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog dare."

L.A. Story:
Because, although the Heat are the defending NBA champs right now, the Lakers are playing better ball and are nipping at the Suns' heels in the Pacific Division. If you haven't already, take a look at the Lakers — even without Lamar Odom.

Mike and Mark:
Mike Breen and Mark Jackson, that is. Though they work on opposite sides of the Hudson River (Breen for the Knicks in New York, Jackson for the Nets in Jersey), these are two of the best in the business. It will be nice to hear the tandem for the first time on a national broadcast on Christmas.

White Christmas?
While the game will be held in the temperate tropical climes of Miami, we still may have a white Christmas inside the AmericanAirlines Arena. During the playoffs last year, the Heat handed out "White Hot" themed t-shirts and the Heat won the NBA title. Who knows, maybe we'll get a White (Hot) Christmas after all.

[Andrei Kirilenko]

^funny that it was a big deal that the games were televised in High Definition!