NBA Schedule 2016: Christmas Day games

The NBA schedule is here and the Christmas Day slate of games is stacked.

After an offseason that didn’t really seem as long as it probably should have, the NBA is gearing up for it’s 2016-17 chapter. The Cavaliers are defending a title for the first time in the history of the franchise and players like Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade are all wearing new uniforms.

But while the schedule is going to reveal the full 82-game slate, there is one day that has historically marked the unofficial beginning of the season and that’s Christmas Day. While the season starts at the end of October, no one really starts paying attention until Christmas Day, and the NBA has given us a slate of games that is already making us drool.

Here are the games we know will be on the Christmas Day docket when the schedule is released later today. The Warriors and Cavaliers will be duking it out in an NBA Finals rematch while it has been leaked that the Knicks will be returning to Christmas Day action with a showdown against the Boston Celtics. It was announced later in the day that the Timberwolves would be making their Christmas Day debut against the Thunder.

Here’s the official Christmas Day lineup:

Knicks vs. Celtics
Timberwolves vs. Thunder
Cavaliers vs. Warriors
Bulls vs. Spurs
Lakers vs. Clippers

The Knicks returning to Christmas Day is a pretty big deal. They were left off the slate last year as punishment for being a raging dumpster fire, despite having Kristaps Porzingis.

must read: Best SNL Sports Hosts of All-Time

But now that they’re showing some mild competence by trading for Derrick Rose, signing Joakim Noah and making some real improvements over the offseason, they’re back in the good graces of the schedule makers.