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10 NBA things to watch for on Christmas Day

By Bryan Toporek

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 4: Kevin Love
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 4: Kevin Love /
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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 12: Tina Ball, Lonzo Ball, LaVar Ball, LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball attend the Los Angeles Lakers Vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 12: Tina Ball, Lonzo Ball, LaVar Ball, LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball attend the Los Angeles Lakers Vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images) /

3. A Big Baller Christmas

Any game involving the Lakers means Lonzo Ball — and his loudmouth father, LaVar — will unquestionably wind up being one of the biggest storylines. With the Inside the NBA crew calling the game, that goes tenfold.

The bad blood between LaVar and Charles Barkley dates back to March, when the latter challenged the former to a game of one-on-one after LaVar said Michael Jordan could not “stop me one-on-one.” It resurfaced earlier this month when Barkley appeared on ESPN Radio’s Golic & Wingo show and said LaVar “reperesents everything that’s bad about sports. It’s all about him. I just feel bad for those kids because, you know, everybody’s talking about [how] he might be a good father, this and that. No, he’s not. He’s just exploiting his kids.”

Lakers team president Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka recently met with LaVar to ask him to tone down his criticism of head coach Luke Walton and “help create a more positive atmosphere around his son,” according to ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne. Will he be able to bite his tongue if Walton parks Lonzo on the bench in the midst of another fourth-quarter meltdown, though? Can he resist the temptation to snipe back at Barkley or the rest of the Inside crew?

LaVar appeals to the lowest common denominator — he’s basically the NBA’s version of Jersey Shore — but interest in both him and Lonzo remains at an all-time high. Expect plenty of cameras to be focused on the Ball family during the Christmas Day nightcap.

Next: 2. A Finals preview?

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