10 NBA things to watch for on Christmas Day

1. King James at his peak

Back during the 2010 playoffs, LeBron James told reporters, “I spoil a lot of people with my play. When you have a bad game here or there, you’ve had three bad games in a seven-year career, then it’s easy to point that out.”

Those bad games are becoming fewer and further between, but James continues to spoil fans with his greatness. How else can one explain a 32-year-old in the 15th year of his illustrious NBA career setting new career highs in assists (9.1), 3-pointers (2.0) and shooting efficiency (57.9 percent overall, 40.7 percent from deep) not being showered with daily praise from all corners of the basketball universe?

Earlier this month, James said he’s never felt better throughout his career, and he announced his goal of shattering perceptions about when an athlete begins his decline from his athletic prime. Whereas it’s widely assumed an athlete begins a steady downswing once he finds himself on the wrong side of 30, the four-time MVP is challenging that conventional wisdom with superlative play.

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The Warriors tend to bring out the best in James, too. His three-game surge to close out the 2016 NBA Finals will go down as perhaps the finest moment of his career, but he became the first-ever player to average a triple-double across an entire Finals this past June. He recognizes that Golden State’s unique compilation of talent requires a Herculean effort from him to overcome, and he’s often more than willing to live up to his end of the bargain.

The thought of James not yet having peaked should terrify the other 29 teams across the league, but it should exhilarate fans. At some point, Father Time will come calling for the King, but until then, enjoy every last moment of his sublime domination.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com or Basketball Reference.