The Philadelphia 76ers will play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, according to one report. The 76ers appearing in the game will end a 16-year drought for the franchise playing on Christmas, tied for sixth-longest in the league, as the last time this happened was 2001 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
76ers will play Knicks on Christmas Day, ending 16-year Philadelphia drought
The Process keeps delivering.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
There have been good reasons for the 76ers not to appear on national television, especially lately. Over the past four seasons, Philadelphia has consistently been the worst team in the league, tanking games and “trusting the process” while rebuilding around a young core. But between a passionate fandom and a young core that appears finally ready to win, the 76ers enter this season as one of the most interesting and (hopefully) exciting teams to watch.
Nothing is certain, of course. Joel Embiid has still only played 31 games in three years, while we haven’t even seen Ben Simmons or Markelle Fultz play actual NBA minutes yet. However, the raw talent of exciting youngsters is definitely present in Philadelphia this season. Barring any other setback, this team might not win games but should at least win hearts.
For the Knicks, this is their 52nd appearance on Christmas Day. As one of the league’s storied franchises in the country’s largest market, the Knicks are usually picked for a Christmas Day game, appearing more times than anyone else. (Even the Lakers have only appeared 44 times, with a 45th likely upcoming.) And to be fair, while New York will likely trade Carmelo Anthony before the season starts, they do have one of the league’s budding stars in Kristaps Porzingis.
The game — which will almost certainly be played at noon ET — is an attempt to showcase an exciting young team that might be on the verge of breaking through, while still pandering to a huge market. So just remember that the NBA may not be putting its present to you under a tree, or wrapping it nice and neat, but it’s definitely worth turning the television on for anyway.
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