Joe Dumars remembers his first Christmas Day game well.
He was an integral part of the fast-rising Bad Boy Pistons, a team that had reached the Eastern Conference Finals the season before and looked poised to take another step forward. The NBA showcased those young Bad Boys on Christmas Day against Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson and the Rick Pitino-led Knicks. What Dumars remembers was the excitement of getting the chance to be in one of the NBA’s brightest spotlights.
“The first one that I played in was at the Garden against the Knicks. I just remember being in New York on Christmas Eve,” Dumars told NBC Sports. “Christmas in New York is beautiful, and I just remember Christmas Eve being there and thinking that we’re going to be playing on national TV tomorrow, on Christmas day at the Garden.
“I just thought it was a really special time. I was extremely honored for myself and for my team to be playing on that day. It was really, really a big deal.”
Playing on Christmas “an honor”
Dumars was excited because his team was getting shown a new level of respect — and they went on to win that Christmas game, with Dumars scoring 19.
“It’s a privilege, for players and for teams and organizations,” Dumars said of playing on Christmas. “We highlight some of the best teams in the NBA on Christmas Day, and so when you’re on, when you’re playing on that day, it’s an honor.”
It still is that way, he said. Teams and players want to be showcased — the Oklahoma City Thunder players will tell anyone who will listen they took it personally this year that the league chose not to put their fast-rising young team in that spotlight.
“I would say that it really speaks to just how many good teams are out there that you can’t get every single team on Christmas day,” Dumars said. “There are teams that are deserving that you just end up making choices, and you only have so many slots. I’m just telling you, it’s a lot of young teams out there, man, that that that are deserving as well.”
It was an honor for those young Pistons to be playing on Christmas. They were just breaking into the consciousness of the casual fan and that season would go on to reach the NBA Finals (losing to the Lakers in seven games). Those Pistons would go on to win the next couple of NBA titles after that season.
“We’re just coming into our own and just really taking off, and the league noticed it and realized that here’s a team that’s that’s on their way up, and placed us on Christmas day at the Garden. It was great,” Dumars said.
Then there was Jordan
Dumars played four times on Christmas Day in his career, twice going up against Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
“Whether it’s Christmas Day or not, it’s an incredible experience going into Chicago and facing Michael and the Bulls,” Dumars said. “But on Christmas Day, when you know the entire world is watching, it’s even more special. And I think players still feel the same way. I still think players feel like is really special to play on Christmas Day.”
Dumars scored 24 points against the Bulls on Christmas Day 1990, saying of his performance, “I snuck in a few.” The Pistons lost both Christmas Day games to the Bulls during Dumars’ tenure.
Dumars wrapped up his Hall of Fame career and went on to be the president of basketball operations for the Pistons. He is now the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. What he remembers about those games — what he feels this year’s five NBA Christmas Day games have — are great stories.
“I think though, those are the best games, when there’s a narrative, when there’s storytelling, any of that that’s attached to the games, those are the best games, man,” Dumars said. “Because it’s more than just shooting, shooting balls in the basket. It’s, how is Wemby going to respond to the Garden on Christmas? And Dallas vs. Timberwolves, you face a team in the conference finals, and now you’re back facing each other on Christmas Day. They’re just story lines that that I think are really, really compelling. And I think those make the best games.”
For many fans, Christmas Day is the “start” of the NBA season, or at least when they start paying serious attention (although Dumars thinks the NBA Cup helps change that equation). That’s part of why being showcased on that day matters.
And it remains an honor and a privilege to play in that spotlight.
Just ask Dumars.
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