Third Annual: Will the Raptors finally get a Christmas Day Game?
Christmas Day has become the NBA’s signature marquee date — a tradition since 1948. Playing on Christmas means a larger national audience and an inherent respect that the teams playing are indeed the best in the league comprised of the best players.
The Raptors have played only one Christmas Day game in franchise history. This was back in 2001 when only two games were scheduled (not the five that happen today). In 2001, Vince Carter and the Raptors played in New York against the Knicks. The other game was a rematch of the Finals between the 76ers and the Lakers. The fact that Toronto earned one of the four marquee spots spoke to Carter’s popularity at the time and the respect the Raptors earned in the 2001 playoffs (where they were a missed Carter shot at the buzzer from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals). Also, at the time, the Raptors and Knicks was a legitimate rivalry having played against one another in two consecutive postseasons.
The Raptors would lose to the Knicks that day, 102–94. The highlights were Allan Houston scoring 34 points and Latrell Sprewell’s suffocating defense on Carter — holding him to 15 points (2 in the first half) on an abyssal 6-of-20 shooting. That was the final time the Raptors were deemed relevant enough to have earned a marquee spot on the NBA’s marquee day.
So with that, welcome to our third annual Will the Raptors finally get a Christmas Day Game column where we go ahead and predict whether the Raptors will indeed get a game on Christmas as well as who their opponent will be. And just for fun, we predict all 5 Christmas Day matchups.
We did this exact same exercise the last two summers and we here at Life In Repeat did pretty well. We correctly picked 7 of the 10 teams that ended up playing on Christmas Day in both 2017 and in 2018. Not bad considering we were operating under the (extremely positive) assumption that the Raptors would earn their first Christmas Day game since 2001 (spoiler alert: they did not).
Which brings us to the present and the lingering question: will the Raptors finally be rewarded a 2019 Christmas Day game when the schedule is released on Monday?
If the Raptors cannot land a Christmas Day game after winning the NBA freaking title than I don’t think the NBA will ever award them one. Our 2019 championship run emphatically put Toronto on the map — in the sense that it gave us an appropriate venue to share with the world what we already knew: Raptors fans are the best in the NBA! Why? Because you are not just representing Toronto, you are representing an entire country, and you are representing a diverse population.
The NBA sales division is also learning that Raptors fans are the best in the association. The NBA store experienced record sales on Finals merchandise and their site was even overwhelmed by the volume of traffic. I can guarantee you that the NBA Execs learned that the Raptors are good for business.
Imagine how much Christmas Day game merchandise Raptors fans will buy! I know I will! Also, if you combined the American and Canadian ratings, the ratings were higher in the 2019 Finals than in any of the four Warriors-Cavs Finals. This championship has served as a wake-up call to the league to just how much they were ignoring their neighbour in the North (the lone international team).
These NBA executives realized there is a lot of money to make here. This is not just money from those living in Canada. The NBA is learning that the U.S. is populated by expatriates. They saw incredible sales numbers not just in Canada but all across the United States on championship merchandise. Our fanbase shook the NBA snow globe by turning it upside down. Simply put: this Finals run put Toronto on the financial map for the NBA.
Essentially what I’m trying to get at is: give us our fucking Christmas Day game already! We earned it! The NBA has no choice now but to put their reigning, defending, and undisputed champ on Christmas Day, right? Right?
It goes without saying that the Raptors are indeed deserving: the team is a perennial contender, they routinely finish at the top of the conference, and we just won the fucking title (which, by the way, is the whole point of playing the games in the first place). So the simple math suggests that, yes, the Raptors should get a game on December 25th.
But we here in Toronto know such things aren’t so simple. The We The North era of Raptors basketball, much like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, has been shut-out when it comes to Christmas games. Here’s to hoping that 2019 ends 18 years of Christmas Day basketball disappointment in Toronto.
But there is one teensy, tiny, small detail that could impact whether or not the champs, as is customary, get their Christmas Day game: Kawhi Leonard has bolted town. The very reason we won the title is now no longer on the team. Is that reason enough for the NBA schedule makers to once again shun the Raptors? They did it the year after LeBron left Cleveland in 2018 (although those circumstances were different as the 2018 Cavs lost in the Finals as opposed to winning the whole thing).
For argument’s sake (and for the sake of this column), I’m going to say that not only do the Raptors deserve a Christmas Day game, they will finally have one and it will be at home! It’s time for the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver to reward Toronto a game on its marquee day.
So let’s look ahead and try to determine how the Raptors can squeeze into one of the 10 marquee spots. And also, for fun, let’s predict who they will play as well as predicting the other matchups on December 25th!
Disclaimer: we are not going to worry about who the home or road team will be — we are predicting the 10 teams and how they will matchup.
Here is a list of the teams that have played on Christmas Day going back to 2010 (9 seasons). This will help us figure out who will be playing.
How the hell did the Jazz, Pelicans, Mavs, Magic, Wizards, Nuggets, and Timberwolves all get Christmas Day games before us?!? Alright, don’t look at the list, it’s just going to piss you off.
Traditionally, there has been a Finals rematch meaning 2 of the 10 spots should theoretically belong to Toronto and Golden State. But let’s be realistic, the NBA may not honour that tradition this season. Which potentially means bye bye Toronto? Maybe not.
We are going to move forward as if the Raptors and Warriors will possess 2 of the 10 prestigious spots. But we here at Life In Repeat are going to say that the NBA will not give us a Finals rematch. Instead both Toronto and Golden State will have separate opponents.
But who would make a worthy opponent for the Warriors on Christmas Day? How about the Houston Rockets who just acquired Russell Westbrook! Let’s go ahead and add this match-up to our theoretical Christmas Day card. They’ve met in the past two postseasons plus the Rockets have come the closest to dethroning the Warriors before, you know, our beloved Raptors did so. The Warriors and the Rockets have a natural rivalry that just got spicier with the addition of Westbrook to Houston.
Another Christmas Day staple is LeBron James, as evidenced with the appearances of Miami and Cleveland, so you know the Lakers will be represented. An obvious matchup would be pitting the Lakers against the Clippers. The battle of Los Angeles between LeBron and Anthony Davis versus Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Let’s go ahead and add these two teams to our list which now brings us to 5 teams and two match-ups.
For those keeping score at home, we are up to 5 teams: Golden State, Houston, Lakers, Clippers, and our Raptors.
Other obvious candidates based on the above list are: New York and Philadelphia. New York is New York and the NBA loves featuring Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day. But I have a funny feeling that this New York holiday tradition will be moving to another borough. With the addition of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets have suddenly become worthy of a Christmas Day game (yes yes I know KD is out, but still). So let’s go ahead and make the Nets our sixth team. But who would make an excellent opponent you ask? If only there was a bridge and a fanbase that Kyrie burned to the ground….hmmm….let me think about it….that’s right people! Let’s go ahead and add the Celtics to the list of teams playing on Christmas and let’s pit them against the Nets in Brooklyn.
Here is our updated slate:
Celtics vs. Nets
Lakers vs. Clippers
Rockets vs. Warriors
Raptors vs. ???
??? vs. ???
7 teams down, 3 to go!
I think we can also safely add the Bucks to the schedule. They have the reigning MVP and they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. They also played last Christmas which makes sense with Giannis on the rise. But who would make a worthy opponent? Although the NBA seldom does interconference matchups on Christmas, my gut is telling me that Portland will earn a spot. They too made it to their respective Conference Finals so let’s pit both conference’s bridesmaids against one another.
Updated scoreboard: we are now up to 9 teams.
But who would make a worthy Christmas Day opponent you ask for the defending champs? Which team would provide the most intrigue you ask? Which matchup would be must-see television you ask? Look no further than the Philadelphia 76ers. You might remember them from the time we quadruple-bounced them from the playoffs. There’s a natural storyline here. Could Philly get redemption in Toronto on Christmas for the Four-Bounce Special? Would Philly have made the Finals if they eliminated the Raptors? Lots of intrigue. Sign me up!
Before we wrap up, we reached out to three of our favourite Raptors contributors to get their take on whether the Raptors will be rewarded on Christmas and, if so, who would their prospective opponent be. Essentially I asked them to do the same exercise that I’m doing here; but these guys are a bit smarter than yours truly.
Here is what Adam Corsair of South of the 6ix fame had to say:
This is a hot button issue every year and for good reason. It’s hard to argue that a consistent playoff team should not be gifted a Christmas Day Game, while other teams that have less success and appeal somehow are. Allow me to toss an arbitrary timeline here and call your attention back to 2016. Teams such as the Bulls, Timberwolves, and Clippers were awarded XMas Day games, while not accomplishing anything noteworthy the season prior. In 2017, the Timberwolves (again), 76ers, and Knicks got their chance. More recently in 2018, the Jazz, Blazers, and Knicks were granted the spotlight. None of these teams, I’d argue, have the appeal and storylines that the Raptors have had during that time period, but were thus still given the chance to showcase their talents (or lack thereof in some cases). Further, even after Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Raptors, the NBA still wouldn’t broadcast the team on the occasion, leaving fans with the thought that if the Raptors were to ever force the league’s hand, it would be due to a championship run.
Fast-forward to the present and the Raptors have done just that. For me, there is absolutely no way that the NBA can leave out their defending NBA Champions; especially with a much depleted Eastern Conference. Yes, the Bucks and 76ers are viewed as the favorites and probably will get their time to shine, but if the NBA were to choose any other team from the East, how can they not choose their reigning champions? They would be doing their own brand a terrible disservice and would ultimately prove what Raptors fan have theorized for years: that the league has and always will completely undermine them as a noteworthy and accomplished franchise.
I get the ratings argument, but we’re well beyond that now. The last time the defending champions were left off of a Christmas Day game was in 2007 as the Spurs were not featured. Since then, every championship team has been broadcast on the holiday and I expect this year to be no different. It’s time for the NBA and Adam Silver to back up the praise and pleasantries that they’ve given to the Raptors for achieving the Larry O’B by giving them this honor. It’s long overdue. Give the fans an ECF rematch between the Bucks and Raptors, sit back, and enjoy the show. Who wouldn’t want to watch that game?!
That, and well…. I’d really like to buy a Christmas Edition Raptors jersey.
Follow Adam Corsair on Twitter: @ACorsair
Follow South of the 6ix on Twitter: @SouthOfThe6ix
And visit their website for Raptors and Blue Jays knowledge: https://southofthe6ix.com
Next up is Hunter Surphlis of Take 6ix:
The Toronto Raptors deserve a Christmas day game and, there are many reasons for it. To start, they’re the NBA Champions. The last time a team who won the chip in the previous year wasn’t featured on Christmas was the Dallas Mavericks in 2012. Just about every year the champion has been part of the festivities. They also have a budding global fan base. There’s the obvious growth in Canada but, the diversity of their players and the team’s playoff success brought more attention to the team outside of North America. Speaking of attention, the combination of the Kawhi saga and last year’s triumph brought more coverage than ever before.
The added media created a few intriguing storylines that make some matchups very appealing to the NBA. Ranking the matchups best to worst would be 1. Los Angeles Clippers, 2. Milwaukee Bucks and, 3. The Golden State Warriors. A Kawhi Leonard return to Toronto would make the best of those storylines. He would get his standing ovation, his ring, and it would be a perfect conclusion to the story. A Bucks matchup might be the proverbial passing of the torch to the next great Eastern Conference team. After getting beat up in the Conference Finals, the Bucks will want revenge on this big stage. A game against the Warriors is kind of the classic Christmas day matchup as it’s the champ vs. the runner-up. Additionally, it has the added narrative of both franchises moving on from their most successful eras.
I wouldn’t necessarily be shocked if the Raptors don’t have a game on Christmas, however, I don’t think many teams would fill the role any better. They’ve got the storylines, they’ve got the championship and, they’ve got the fan base. NBA, just do it!
Visit Take 6ix for more stories on all things Toronto sports!
And, finally, Andreas Babiolakis from That’s A Rap podcast.
I unfortunately do not think the Toronto Raptors will be granted a Christmas Day game like they rightfully deserve, and that’s because of the post season reaction. The American media was eating up the free agency rumours and activity before we even finished the finals run, either because they assumed the Golden State Warriors were going to pry the series from our claws, or because they could not care less about this other outcome. Either way, it’s sad when Anthony Davis’ journey to California makes a bigger splash than a historic postseason run. It’s the kind of championship us Torontonians have dreamed about for years, even if it granted us the legitimacy we are owed for once. Stations had to show our games when there are literally only two teams left. We have to have our team prefaced with the phrase “the defending champions” for an entire season, regardless of what happens. With all of that in mind, I still cannot believe how small of an impact this run has made, and it may have to do with an American league and its media outlets trying to stymie the Toronto Raptors yet again.
Kawhi Leonard’s decision to leave also does not help this particular cause. It’s already an issue that many supposed sports specialists have branded this playoffs run with an asterisk, trying to devalue the effort the Toronto Raptors made by insisting that it would have never happened had the Warriors been healthy (news flash: the Warriors got by on the injuries of others before, too. Are their wins illegitimate as well?). Now, the team is doomed to face another asterisk the entire next season. We are still the championship team that went against all of the odds, but we are missing the MVP that helped get us there. I’m afraid the league and its media are already dismissing the Toronto Raptors as just that team that kind of exists like they always do. They cannot deny our opening night game, but they can try to please all markets (I use that expression loosely) by granting the Christmas Day slot to teams that will garner more coverage and viewership. For over twenty years, the league has neglected to realize that the Raptors elicit a response from an entire country and then some, but this is nothing new with this league. Overall, we’re going to just be treated the exact same way we always do, since the MVP is gone, and the press coverage (which controls the movement of the league and its bandwagon fans) was already turned the other way when convenient. Despite being champions, we will simply be treated as the Toronto Raptors, meaning we still won’t get our dues even after winning a damn title.
So, to conclude, here is the official Life In Repeat predicted slate of games irregardless of home or away — except of course for our Toronto prediction (and, of course, our Brooklyn prediction).
76ers vs. Raptors
Celtics vs. Nets
Clippers vs. Lakers
Bucks vs. Trailblazers
Warriors vs. Rockets
It would be a magical Christmas Day if the Raptors are indeed one of the 10 teams scheduled. It would be even better if they played at home — what a wonderful Christmas gift that would be (I’m hoping my wife is reading this!!).
However, if we don’t end up getting a Christmas Day game, we can always take solace in what Stan Van Gundy has to say about the matter:
“I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game.”
Ouch!
Until next time…
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