Kevin Durant was on the court in Phoenix warming up for an extra-late 8:30 PM tip-off for the NBA Finals on Christmas Day as Stephen Curry and LeBron James put the finishing touches on the fourth thriller of the NBA’s best day season so far. Yet somehow Durant knew exactly how important this day had been for the league.
“Today was a step in the right direction to get people excited about the game of basketball again,” Durant told ESPN during a wide-ranging interview after leading the Phoenix Suns to a 110-100 win over the Denver Nuggets. “Hopefully it’s not just because it’s Christmas. Hopefully they stay invested in the game, invested in every player, every team for the rest of the season and not just in the play-offs or the finals.”
“I want to see people, the viewership. I want it to go up again. The league is not going anywhere, but in that respect we are in a difficult period.”
The NBA has been the subject of particularly negative discussions for most of this season, with conversations about the style of play, the number of three-pointers teams are taking, stars missing games or simply not putting in any effort during All-Star Weekend. and countless other issues. But the Christmas Day games reminded us how good the game can still be. Four of the five games came down to the final minute and the average margin was just five points, the lowest for a Christmas with at least five games in NBA history.
Each game had an exciting ending, with young stars like San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (42 points, 18 rebounds), Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (26 points) and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey (33 points, 12 assists) putting in great performances alongside the old Durant’s guard. (27 points), Kyrie Irving (39 points), Curry (38 points) and James (31 points).
The biggest roles were played by role players like the Lakers’ Austin Reaves, who topped Curry’s heroics with a game-winning layup past Andrew Wiggins, and New York’s Josh Hart, whose rebounding and defense capped the Knicks’ win at Wembanyama and a sealed an inspired victory. group Spurs.
And it seemed like everyone knew how important it was to the league.
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” James told ABC’s Lisa Salters after the Lakers’ win over the Warriors. He even turned around and looked directly at the camera to emphasize his point.
James is well aware that the NFL has encroached on NBA territory in recent years. This year, the NFL put two big games — and a halftime show featuring Beyoncé — on Netflix against the NBA slate. James woke up determined to reclaim that territory.
“It really sucks not having Christmas uniforms anymore!” James posted on X. “It was a great feeling to walk into the locker room and see it.”
Over the summer, James had done a joint interview with Curry and Durant during their epic Olympic run in France, which NBA Entertainment released ahead of Christmas Day. It was wistful and nostalgic. Retirement was discussed openly. These were also legacies. The message was clear: fans should enjoy these guys while they can, because they won’t be around much longer.
The conclusion, however, was disheartening: What will the NBA do when they’re gone?
James and Curry continued to lean on that message again Wednesday night after their latest head-to-head battle.
“It’s always great. The competitive history, the spirit, its greatness. It allows me to appreciate everything we’ve been through and the battles back and forth,” Curry said. “In 2024, I’m still doing it and somehow the games are quite exciting and kind of a must-see TV situation. I love it. … That’s why it sucks to lose, because this It’s those moments that matter a little more.”
James was even more direct. When asked by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin what’s still great about the NBA today, he simply said:LeBron and Steph.”
When Durant walked from the arena into the still balmy Phoenix evening at 11 p.m., he struck a different tone. The 36-year-old vet, who came into the league 17 years ago on a Seattle team that no longer exists, said he doesn’t like to think of himself and Curry and James as the defining players of their era because it ignores future Hall. of Famers James Harden and Russell Westbrook, with whom he went to his first NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. That team never made it back to the Finals (and Harden was traded to Houston before the next season), but won 219 games over the next four years before Durant left for Golden State.
“I feel like fans only want freedom and drama and are only concerned about playoffs and finals and what that means for someone’s legacy,” he said. “Then they are programmed to only think about that, so they don’t want to worry about the regular season.”
But he doesn’t blame them either, in a fragmented media environment where the NBA is competing for attention not only with other TV shows, but also against streaming networks and social media platforms.
“So to watch a January evening game — Charlotte Hornets vs. the Atlanta Hawks or Phoenix Suns vs. the Golden State Warriors, that’s not on national television? You could just follow the stats,” Durant said.
“My thing is you can’t use the product and think that people are going to like that product, like some shows do. We should all be on the same team. But it feels like everyone is clashing with each other. Now we’re trying to get more attention, everyone, instead of just pushing the game in the right direction.”
For at least one day, the NBA was moving in the right direction. The games were great. The players were dynamic. Not only the three superstars who have led the league for twenty years, but also the young players to whom they will soon hand the league over.
If there are lessons to be learned from what went right at Christmas, Durant will be among those looking for them, hoping to change the discourse around the league as the calendar turns to 2025.
“I take this seriously and wonder why people don’t want to watch us play anymore or why they don’t like the three-point line or what the real problem is,” he said. “I’m trying to think about it and understand it. I love this game. I want it to continue.”