Stephen A. Smith didn’t waste much time choosing his Christmas Day favorite.
It’s the @spurs vs @nyknicks. Easy answer to this. The @celtics don’t have @FCHWPO anymore. The @Lakers don’t have enough defensive bodies. The @Timberwolves are good, except when they face @okcthunder. And @JimmyButler won’t be back to help @StephenCurry30 vs the @nuggets. It’s… https://t.co/4zU7IGXQmI
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 12, 2026
With the NBA’s 2026-27 holiday slate loaded up from top to bottom, the longtime Knicks fan zeroed in on the Finals rematch between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. That’s the one he wants, and he made it clear why the rest of the board doesn’t hit quite the same for him.
“It’s the @spurs vs @nyknicks,” Smith posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Easy answer to this.
The @celtics don’t have @FCHWPO anymore. The @Lakers don’t have enough defensive bodies.
The @Timberwolves are good, except when they face @okcthunder. And @JimmyButler won’t be back to help @StephenCurry30 vs the @nuggets.
It’s all about the Finals rematch at MSG. But it should be a Primetime Match.
Hello! The @nyknicks are the CHAMPIONS!!!”
The Christmas Day lineup also includes the Boston Celtics against the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Denver Nuggets against the Golden State Warriors.
There’s plenty packed into those matchups. The Heat-Celtics game will feature Giannis Antetokounmpo vs.
Jayson Tatum. LeBron James is set to return to Los Angeles as part of the 76ers, and he’ll be facing Luka Doncic and his son, Bronny.
Out in the Midwest, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards will meet up. And in the late game, Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic will go head-to-head.
For Smith, though, the choice is simple: Knicks-Spurs at MSG is the one that stands above the rest.
In Other News...
Jalen Brunson Just Set The Tone For Knicks Title Defense
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The bigger takeaway is how quickly the conversation around a championship can turn from champagne to accountability. Brunson said the timing of moving on from the celebration was part of the mindset shift, and for a Knicks team trying to defend what it just won, that tone matters. The title is in the books, but the harder part is keeping everyone locked in on the grind that follows, and Brunson has already started framing that message for the roster. [Read more 🡒]
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Sims availability gives New York a potential short-term answer at a position that remains unsettled, but the path to getting him is not especially complicated. A deal centered on Pacme Dadiet has been floated as the most realistic framework, which would make this less about a splash and more about whether the Knicks want to sacrifice a young asset for a stopgap center who already knows the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Title Defense Just Ran Into The NBAs Newest Problem
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Andre Drummond is now in the mix to help absorb those minutes, but the expectation is clear enough: he is there to steady things, not to duplicate what Robinson brought. And the same CBA pressures that shaped New Yorks offseason were part of the larger conversation around Russell Westbrooks retirement, a reminder that the leagues new rules are changing more than just payroll spreadsheets. For the Knicks, the challenge is no longer just celebrating a title, but figuring out how to defend it with less margin for error than before. [Read more 🡒]