2012 NBA Christmas Day Preview

James Harden singing Jingle Bells is just one of the joys of five NBA games on Christmas Day. (TotalProSports.com)

Christmas Day has almost arrived, which means a great day of NBA matchups will be on ABC and ESPN. I will preview what to watch for in each game. Merry Christmas to all!

Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets  - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN
The Celtics will travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets in a budding Atlantic Division rivalry. The premier matchup of this game will be the point guards, Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and Deron Williams of the Nets. Rondo is averaging 14.3 points and 11.1 assists in December while shooting 52 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Williams is having a down year as he tries to find his role with his newly formed team. He is shooting just 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. Williams is still averaging 16.8 points and 8.1 assists a game. There's also a player on each team who is capable of taking the game over. The Celtics' Paul Pierce has been superb lately and is averaging 23.8 points per game in December. Joe Johnson has emerged as the go to guy for the Nets. He scored 22 points in their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

New York Knicks at Los Angeles Lakers - 3:00 PM EST, ABC
Both teams have been two of the NBA's biggest surprises. The Knicks have emerged as of the league's top teams behind great three-point shooting. The Lakers have struggled to come together as a team, but they will benefit from Steve Nash's return from injury. This game features some great matchups. The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant are two of the league's top scorers. Anthony is scoring 33.7 points and shooting 50 percent from the field in his last 10 games. Meanwhile, Bryant is averaging 33.8 points per game since the start of December. Another intriguing matchup will be two of the league's top centers. Dwight Howard is in his first season with the Lakers, while Tyson Chandler anchors the Knicks' defense. Howard has struggled a bit recently, averaging just 15.1 points per game in his past five games. As the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Chandler will look to shut him down.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat - 5:30 PM EST, ABC
This is probably the most anticipated matchup of any of the Christmas Day games, featuring a rematch of last season's NBA Finals. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season, and the Thunder will be looking for revenge. As if you couldn't figure it on your own, the premier matchup in this game is obviously the NBA's top two players Kevin Durant of the Thunder and LeBron James of the Heat. Durant is averaging 27.9 points and 8.4 rebounds this season, while James is putting up 25.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game. The defensive matchup between the two will be intriguing as well. They will most likely be guarding one another for the majority of the game. The Heat will have the home crowd at their back, but the Thunder experienced what that was like last summer.

Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls - 8:00 PM EST, ESPN
These two teams may not appear to be two of the NBA's top teams, but both have played surprisingly well given their circumstances. The Rockets weren't expected to compete for a spot in the playoffs at all. However, a preseason trade has changed everything. James Harden, the centerpiece of the trade with the Thunder, has averaged 25.6 points and 5.6 assists a game as a starter in Houston. He has emerged as one of the league's top shooting guards right now. Meanwhile, the Bulls have kept winning, even without one of the NBA's top players. A number of players have stepped up in Derrick Rose's absence. Joakim Noah is averaging 13.5 points and 10.6 seen rebounds while Luol Deng leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game. They have helped the Bulls remain competitive while they wait for their superstar to return.

Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers - 10:30 PM EST, ESPN
The Clippers are one of the NBA's hottest teams right now. The Clippers' offense is led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Paul runs the show with 16.1 points and 9.6 assists per game. In the post, Griffin is averaging 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The Clippers also have an elite defense that allows opponents to score just 91.6 points per game, which is fourth best in the NBA. The Nuggets are one of the most balanced teams in the league. Ty Lawson is one of the fastest players in the NBA and pushes the tempo of the offense. He loves to facilitate the ball to his teammates, such as Danilo Gallinari, Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer. Lawson did strain his left Achilles in Sunday's game and is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game. If he is indeed out or not 100 percent, it would be a huge blow to the Nuggets' chances.

What to Watch for in the Battle of the Boroughs III

Joe Johnson has begun to emerge as the star the Brooklyn Nets need him to be. (John Minchillo)

Basketball in the Big Apple has a new rivalry on its hands with the Nets move to Brooklyn. The first installment saw new boys on the block win in overtime. The Knicks took the second behind Carmelo Anthony's 45-point effort. Round Three tips off in less than 30 minutes. If you love basketball, then turn your television on to ESPN. I've got five storylines for you to watch as the game unfolds in Madison Square Garden.

1. Carmelo Anthony is a game-time decision for tonight's game. Anthony has missed the past two games because of continued pain in his sprained left ankle. The Knicks star is taking a cautious approach with his ankle and made it sound as though he's leaning toward sitting out against the Nets. "Of course I want to play," he said Tuesday. "But if I'm not able to go out there and be the player I can be and help my team, then I'm not going to step foot on the court." Reports say that Anthony did run lightly on Tuesday and said afterward that his ankle is still sore and "badly bruised."

2. The matchup of centers Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler will play a decisive role in the outcome of the game. Lopez has been the leading scorer for Brooklyn, averaging almost 18 a game. Chandler is averaging almost 13 points a game and is the focal point of the Knicks' defense. The Nets will try to get Lopez involved as much as possible and try to get Chandler into foul trouble. If they are able to, they'll have a significant edge against the Knicks' less-talented big men coming off the bench. Chandler will have to play smart and not let his emotions get the better of him.

3. Jason Kidd is the x-factor for the Knicks. Kidd was the hero of the Knicks' last game against the Nets and has been the team's leader all season. Despite being 39 years old, he has played a crucial role in the Knick's surprising start. Through 20 games, Kidd is averaging 8.7 points and 1.8 steals per contest, while shooting an amazing 47 percent from three-point range. Apart from sinking the game-winning shot in the Knicks' last win over the Nets, he also had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in that game.

4. Joe Johnson is starting to find his role with the Nets. Johnson struggled early in the season to find his place with his new team, but he is starting to find his groove as of late. Over his past five games, he has averaged 20.8 points on 49.4% shooting from the field. Johnson also sunk his first game-winner as a member of the Nets in a double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons last Friday night before a home crowd at the Barclays Center. The team is starting to believe in him as well. "We were going to give him the ball and ride his back,” said head coach Avery Johnson.

5. The Knicks' ability to make three-pointers could decide the outcome of the game. The Knicks live and die on the three. According to ESPN, "New York's 11.9 made 3-pointers per game and 29.5 attempts are the most by any team since the 3-point line was instituted in 1979-80." Even though it seems unlikely that they will keep that up the remainder of the season, it certainly has a significant impact on this game. Interestingly enough though, the Nets have been very good at defending the three. According to ESPN, "Brooklyn has allowed opponents to hit just 5.7 of their 3-pointers per game, the third-fewest in the NBA." The Nets will need to be just as good if they hope to slow done the Knicks' production from deep.

Brooklyn Nets Rally Ignites Fans and City

Joe Johnson (left) and Deron Williams (right) were introduced as "Brooklyn's Backcourt" to fans and media present at the rally. (AP Photo) 

The Brooklyn Nets are new to life in New York City. So they planned a rally on the steps of Brooklyn's Borough Hall. They hoped to get their mission across and to introduce some of their new top players. The Nets did exactly that Friday.

The rally began with a remix of M.O.P.'s "Ante Up," which stated, "Respect mine, we Brooklyn-bound" and included play-by play calls about the Nets' new dynamic duo, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. General Manager Billy King and Head Coach Avery Johnson tried to address the focus of the franchise and answer questions about the future of the team.

One of the obvious highlights of the rally was the introduction of Johnson and Williams. Both can shoot, pass, and defend the ball quite well. Either one is capable of taking over a game and scoring 30 or more points. Referred to as "Brooklyn's Backcourt," many claimed during the rally that the duo is the best the NBA has to offer.

The Nets have also signed Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Mirza Teletovic, and Reggie Evans. This definitely gives the team some of the pieces to become a playoff team. There's still a need for some important back ups, but they are well on their way to postseason success. The Nets have put the disappointment of not being able to trade for Dwight Howard behind them for now. There is a possibility of their renewing talks in January if Howard is still available. But for now, the Nets will proceed accordingly.

Lastly, the Brooklyn Nets got some jabs in against new crosstown rival, the New York Knicks. Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, announced to the crowd, "For nearly 40 years, the Manhattan Knicks have shown that they can't bring the championship home to New York City. So it's going to take the Brooklyn Nets to get the job done." While that may still be something to be accomplished in the more distant future, it gives their new fans and followers something to look forward to. The Brooklyn Nets are in a new home and beginning to look like a brand new franchise. That's certainly something worthy of celebrating.

Nets Acquire Johnson in Hopes of Getting Williams to Return

The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to trade Joe Johnson and his $89.3 million contract to the Brooklyn Nets. (Getty Images)

With the current roster they had, the Brooklyn Nets knew that they need to acquire a big name player to help convince free agent Deron Williams to return to the Nets, rather than the Dallas Mavericks. They took the first step by re-signing defensive-minded small forward Gerald Wallace to a four-year, $40 million deal. After failing to come to an agreement with the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard, the Nets moved northwest and found one of the biggest men available, Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson was considered by many to be unmovable due to his enormous contract. His contract still owes him $89.3 million over the next four seasons. However, the Nets had the cap room and knew Johnson was the type of player they were looking for.

With the trade in place, the Atlanta Hawks are officially in rebuilding mode. It took new general manager Danny Ferry just one week on the job to transform the Hawks from a stagnate franchise to one thrust full force into rebuilding mode. While the team's fans might be initially disappointed, they have to realize it is the best move for the future. In return for Johnson, the Hawks receive the expiring contracts of Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Jordan Williams, and DeShawn Stevenson. They also receive the Houston Rockets' lottery-protected first-round pick in 2013.

In a separate trade, the Atlanta Hawks sent Marvin Williams to the Utah Jazz in return for point guard Devin Harris. Williams never developed into the player everyone thought he would in Atlanta. Harris is a good value to receive in return. Both trades give the Hawks the needed cap room to rebuild. They also still have two of their best players, Josh Smith and Al Horford. The Hawks still have the option to trade either one or both of them. If they choose to move neither, the duo provides a core in which to rebuild around.

As I have already mentioned, the Nets will receive Joe Johnson. Johnson has declined over the last couple seasons, so they hope that a move will revive his career. This trade, of course, is in hopes of convincing Deron Williams to return to the Nets. Williams is currently mulling over decision to return to the Nets or to join the Mavericks. The Nets are offering Williams the maximum five-year, $100 million deal. That is one year and $25 million more than what the Mavericks can offer. The Mavericks will try to sell Williams on the fact that he can join Dirk Nowitzki in a quest to win another NBA title. The Nets will counter with the allure of playing in Brooklyn and beside Joe Johnson. Deron Williams has a tough decision to make to be sure.

Besides resigning Williams, the Nets will also focus on re-signing their other top free agents, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Green. Each are expected to rejoin the team, especially if Williams re-signs. Also on the Nets' radar is Bosnian forward Mirza Teletovic. Teletovic played last season in Spain, but is now looking to make the move to the NBA. He has the same agent as Williams and could be nice fit next season in Brooklyn. Regardless of Deron Williams' decision, the Nets are headed in a new direction, and it's much more than just their geographical move to Brooklyn.