Kings vs. Heat: The Christmas Showdown

Kings vs. Heat: The Christmas Showdown

Every year, the NBA scheduled three or four games for Christmas Day.

They were a year-end feast for basketball fans.

There was no doubt that these games were always marquee matchups.

Like the Cavaliers-Warriors Christmas games of the past, or, going back further, the 23 vs. 24 matchups.

This year's four Christmas games were:

Kings vs. Heat;

Warriors vs. Lakers;

Nets vs. Bucks;

Suns vs. Clippers.

Every game was packed with storylines.

Just look at Warriors versus Lakers.

Curry against James would instantly take a lot of fans back to those years of the Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry.

The good old days were back.

Nets versus Bucks: Antetokounmpo battles Durant;

Suns versus Clippers: Chris Paul faces his former team.

And many people called the Kings' game a continuation of the Finals between the Heat and the Kings.

Some people felt they hadn't had enough of the seven-game Finals, so here came Kings versus Heat on Christmas Day.

By a little after six in the evening, with the game not yet underway, the arena was already filling up.

Pretty much every fan in attendance was wearing a Santa hat.

And the Heat's home-court cheerleaders were all dressed in Christmas uniforms.

The rookie the Kings drafted this year was named Jordan.

Of course, he wasn't Michael Jordan.

He was Jordan Jackson.

His father was a die-hard Jordan fan, so he'd named his son Jordan.

He had the cornrow hairstyle that was common among NBA players.

To make it easier to tell him apart from Jordan, Wang Yi had given him the nickname Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao played Power Forward and had a real knack for passing and scoring.

He could hit shots from mid- and long range, contest shots from all over the court, and step above the