#1 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors
There was only one game that could be at number one on this list.
The Lakers and Warriors will square off in a battle of epic proportions on Christmas Day. LeBron will visit the Oracle Arena in the famous Lakers purple and gold for the first time, and he’ll be greeted by some familiar faces.
LeBron faced the Warriors in the NBA Finals for four straight seasons as a member of the Cavaliers, winning once against them and losing three times. Now that he’s a Laker, and the Lakers and Warriors are in the same division, he’ll be seeing them at least four times every year.
The Warriors are coming off back to back Finals wins, and three in the last four seasons. Already rich with talent, they shocked the NBA world by signing DeMarcus Cousins, who many consider being the best big man in the NBA. That means that the Warriors could potentially have five All-Stars in their starting lineup, something we’ve never seen in the modern NBA.
Cousins is still nursing an Achilles tear he suffered last season, and the Warriors are in no rush to bring him back before they feel he’s ready to contribute. That means he might not play in this particular game, but there’s still plenty of drama.
It’s nice to know that you have a hit on your hands, and the NBA clearly believes they do with this matchup. The Lakers and the Warriors will play on both Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. day, and all of their matchups this season are nationally televised.
