Though the New York Knicks are not directly involved in the voice-note race to bag LeBron James, his decision could determine who they face during the NBA’s Christmas Day showcase.
At the very least, the lag on the four-time MVP’s next move is holding up the league’s schedule-making gurus. This latest, unintended consequence of LeBron Watch 4.0 is brought to us courtesy of Marc Stein from The Stein Line.
“The suitor that emerges as James' next team was described to The Stein Line over the weekend as the most significant missing variable at this point when it comes to schedule assembly,” he writes. “Can't make a Christmas Day schedule in the NBA —to name the most obvious example—without knowing where James is playing.”
LeBron still having this kind of grip on the Association’s landscape ahead of his 24th season is pretty incredible. And his influence could very well decide who the Knicks are facing on Christmas Day.
Yes, the Knicks’ Christmas Day opponent is up in the air
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but the Knicks are definitely playing on Christmas Day. Never mind that they are the reigning champs. Or that they are the envy of both players and teams around the league. They are a Christmas Day staple.
Even when New York was playing out its laughingstock era, it routinely appeared on the December 25 slate. No team in league history has made more Christmas Day cameos all-time.
So the question for the Knicks isn’t whether they’ll play. It’s who they will face.
A Finals rematch with the San Antonio Spurs probably isn’t in the cards. The NBA sprinkles in cross-conference matchups on Christmas sparingly. We saw the Knicks and Spurs tussle on Christmas Day 2024, but we haven’t seen a Finals rematch on December 25 since the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers squared off in 2017.
Sharpie-ing in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers could be the default. But the Knicks played them on Christmas last year. Plus, the two aren’t what you’d call peers after New York dispatched them in a sweep.
LeBron James could hold the Knicks’ Christmas Day fate in his hands
Current impressions of a Knicks-Cavs Christmas Day bout entirely flip if LeBron is back in Cleveland. The league can bill that as the GOAT taking on the reigning champs, in addition to it being a conference finals rematch.
The Sixers could shoot to the top of the list if LeBron heads to Philly. The sheer novelty of seeing him and Jaylen Brown lead a new-look contender against the champs has obvious appeal. A healthy Joel Embiid also still looms as one of the Knicks’ biggest supervillains.
Similar logic applies if LeBron rejoins the Miami Heat. They not only become more relevant with him in the fold, but that matchup would pit the Knicks against the superstar they were supposed to need yet didn’t in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
At this rate, unless you think LeBron stays in the West and signs with Golden State, Denver or Minnesota, the Knicks seem almost guaranteed to face his next team on Christmas Day. We already know where that game will take place: Madison Square Garden. We just won’t know who it’ll be against until LeBron makes his decision.
Well, technically, we won’t know the exact details until the NBA schedule is released in August. But LeBron’s next move will give us the context clues necessary to puzzle it out beforehand.
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