Christmas Day basketball on Philippine TV

Basketball fans in the Philippines will be in for a treat, as three of the five NBA games scheduled for Christmas will be shown on local television, highlighted by the NBA Finals rematch between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors on S+A.

The Cavs and Warriors have met in the finals for three straight seasons, and the subsequent Christmas Day matchup between the two teams have been a fixture on this schedule for the past three seasons, the first circumstance that has happened since the Heat vs Lakers in the mid 00s.

Last year's matchup saw Kyrie Irving rescue the then-defending champions to snatch the victory over the then-former champions, 109-108, in what may have been one of the best games last season. The Cavs were down 14 in the fourth quarter, with the Duke alum converting the game-winner with 3.4 seconds remaining. The Warriors won their first Christmas Day matchup, 89-83, back in 2015.

Warriors will not have Steph Curry for this matchup, as he recovers from his ankle injury. Meanwhile, Cavs won't have Isaiah Thomas, but he is getting closer and closer to making his season debut with them. He just came off a stint with the Canton Charge to get some additional practice time before being called up again to the Cavs.

Even without Steph and Isaiah, there is still star wattage from this matchup, led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, both of whom are the active all-time scoring and assists leaders for those who have played on this day. For Wade, this will be his 13th Christmas Day game, with only Kobe Bryant having played more on this holiday. On the other side, there's Kevin Durant, whose once scored 44 against Denver back in 2010 when he was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Speaking of the Thunder, they will host the Houston Rockets at 9am, a match to be shown LIVE on BTV.

The Rockets head to Oklahoma City for the first time since their playoff matchup last season, which served as some sort of referendum as to who was the MVP between James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Russ would eventually get the nod, although James became the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA First Team.

Both teams have retooled since their playoff exits, adding some star wattage by trading for Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George. They are also seeking their sixth win on this holiday.

The third game features the Los Angeles Lakers, as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves at 1130am on NBA Premium.

This particular matchup will have a special touch since it will have the Inside The NBA hosts (Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, and Charles Barkley) handling the broadcast duties, while sideline action will be handled by Inside Stuff's Kristen Ledlow. Like the other two matchups above, this will be their first meeting of the season.

The Lakers have virtually been a fixture for Christmas Day games, with the upcoming one being its 19th straight appearance, and 43rd overall. In contrast, this is just the second one for the Timberwolves, fresh from their debut last year against Oklahoma City.

Billed as a matchup involving the top overall picks (Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins) against the second overall picks (Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball)

This matchup just received disappointing news as Ball was ruled out of this matchup due to a shoulder issue that was confirmed via MRI, while Ingram was questionable due to his quad. However, this provides the opportunities for the other young guys like Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Jr. to step up.

For those who have NBA League Pass, they can catch the other two NBA games on Christmas, which are the New York Knicks against the Philadelphia 76ers at 1am and Washington Wizards against the Boston Celtics at 630am.

TV schedule tomorrow:

Cavs vs Warriors: 4am LIVE on S+A and NBA Premium
Rockets vs Thunder: 9am LIVE on BTV
Lakers vs Timberwolves: 1130am LIVE on NBA Premium

Cleveland Cavaliers fire GM Chris Grant

A day after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost in embarrassing fashion to an undermanned Los Angeles Lakers, 119-108, the organization has decided to part ways with their current GM, Chris Grant.

In a statement, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert thanked Grant for his service with the organization, as well as for the class, integrity and motivation towards what he sees is good for Cleveland.

"I would like to thank Chris Grant for his eight and a half years of service with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the last three and a half as General Manager. Chris always conducted himself with class, integrity and was motivated by what he believed was right for the organization. We wish Chris and his family the best in the years to come,"

Grant thanked the players and coaches, as well as the people who served under him in the front office for their dedication, effort and commitment to provide Cleveland fans the success that they deserve.

“My entire focus the past eight years has been on trying to build a team that can contend and win and provide Cleveland fans the success that they deserve. I have a tremendous appreciation for the players that are here and the coaches that I have worked with, as well as our front office. I thank them for all of their dedication and commitment to the Cavaliers.”

Gilbert also acknowledged the Cavs' disappointing season, calling it "unacceptable to the fanbase, season ticket holders, corporate partners and ownership."  The change of leadership up top, according to Gilbert, "is necessary to establish the best possible culture and environment for the team to flourish." Gilbert also adds that they will continue to explore opportunities that allow the team in the short and long-term to improve and shift the direction of the franchise towards the right path.

Replacing Grant as the interim General Manager is David Griffin, the team's current VP for Basketball Operations.

Cleveland is currently 16-33, which is fourth in the Central Division and fourth-worst in the Eastern Conference.

Derrick Rose & Kyrie Irving, finally.

from the AP via the Stamford Advocate c/o Charles Rex Arbogast, AP

The Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 96-81 at the United Center on Monday, but all the attention coming into the game went to the first-ever meeting between their star point guards, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving.

Both players went #1 overall. Both won the Rookie of the Year Award. Both are asked to carry their franchises to great heights.

However, the actual mano-a-mano between the two didn't exactly meet the hype that preceded it.

Kyrie scored 39 points in that double-OT thriller against Philadelphia, but struggled against the defensive schemes of Tom Thibodeau, netting just 16 points on 5/19 shooting. He also missed all six of his attempts from the field in the first half, managing just a couple of free throws with 96 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

As for Derrick, he also finished with 16 points, but all the attention is focused on his right hamstring, which he tweaked with just over 3.5 minutes remaining in the game. He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday, but fortunately for him, their next game isn't until Friday against Toronto.

Interesting footnote to this affair is that Mike Krzyzewski was attending the game. The head coach of both Duke and USA senior men's basketball took in the game since the Blue Devils are in town for the Champions Classic matchup against Kansas at the same venue the next day.

Uncle Drew gets it done against Philly

c/o David Richard of USA Today

Kyrie Irving scoring 39 points in a myriad of ways, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 127-125 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Q yesterday.

Included in that 39 is a layup with .6 seconds remaining that pegged the final score above and ensure the home-and-home is split.

This is how Kyrie took it to Philly.

The struggles of Anthony Bennett

Anthony Bennett was a surprise number 1 overall pick by Cleveland in the 2013 NBA Draft. It elicited this reaction from ESPN's Bill Simmons during the coverage.



To say that he is having a rough start is an understatement. This is his current shot chart for the season, c/o the NBA's Stats Page.



In addition, his minutes have dropped the past four games, just playing 10 minutes in their 93-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. In contrast, Andrew Bynum's minutes have increased (although he did not play in their game against Indiana because it was a second game of a back-to-back).

Could Anthony be pressing? Maybe. He is averaging 3.3 rebs and a steal, so he is doing the little things. He even got his first block as a Cav against the Wolves. It's just that he cannot make a basket.

Considering the injury history of both Bynum and Anderson Varejao, Bennett will be needed on that Cleveland front line, eventually. At least right now, his fellow Canadian, Tristan Thompson, has been holding down the fort, and both Bynum and Varejao are currently healthy, with Earl Clark able to play the power forward position in case of small ball lineups.

Up next for the Cavs is Milwaukee. Hopefully he gets this duck out of his system quickly.