Predicting 5 NBA Christmas Day games that we must see during the 2024-25 season

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics

In what could end up being the premier matchup of the NBA Christmas Day slate, the league could decide to pair the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in what could be considered an Eastern Conference Finals preview. Assuming health, the Sixers and Celtics should be the two best teams in the East this season. If the Sixers can mesh quickly, this is a team that could emerge as the biggest threat to take down the defending champions. It would make sense for this to be the matchup on Christmas Day.

I wouldn't completely count out a potential NBA Finals rematch between the Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, but I believe this makes much more sense from a traveling perspective. The league could also decide to make this the first meeting between these two teams which could only add even more intrigue to the game.

The star power in this Christmas Day game would be through the roof and this would give both teams the opportunity to send an early message to the rest of the conference.