1) 1947: Baltimore Bullets 87, Chicago Stags 70 (the original Christmas Day slate)

The concept of Christmas games being a marquee event for the NBA didn’t really start until the ’80s. But the league has been scheduling contests on the holiday going back to 1947, when it was called the BAA. Three games were played that day, most notably the Baltimore Bullets taking on the Chicago Stags. The Bullets were the newest BAA franchise, poached from the ABL ahead of the ’47-’48 season. As expected, Baltimore was struggling in the more competitive league, heading into Christmas with a 10-7 record. This win over the Stags was not notable in and of itself, but rather how it seemed to turn around Baltimore’s season. The Bullets went on to defeat the Stags again in the semifinal round of the playoffs, then shock the Philadelphia Warriors in the BAA Finals. The Stags, who have no connection to the current Bulls franchise, had reached the BAA Finals in 1947 but struggled financially and were forced to fold in 1950. The Bullets, who have no connection to the current Washington Wizards, made it a few more years before folding in 1954.

2) 1984: New Jersey Nets 120, New York Knicks 114 (Bernard King scores 60)

The Christmas Day NBA slate remained a tradition in the sense that it happened annually, but it wasn’t really an event per se until the mid ’80s. That was all thanks to King. Though the Knicks provided its fans mostly lumps of coal in the ’84-’85 season, King gave them a bountiful gift delivery on Christmas Day, dropping 60 points on the Nets. It’s one of the most famous single game performances in NBA history, even though it came in a losing effort that dropped the slumping Knicks to 12-19. It also overshadowed a bit of a revenge game for New Jersey’s Micheal Ray Richardson, who less than two years ago had been traded by Knicks due to alleged cocaine abuse. He dropped 36 points in this game, along with four steals. The city of New York, already so indelibly linked with Christmas, became a permanent host of December 25 NBA games going forward thanks to this King performance. In addition to the holiday hoopla, King also set the Knicks single game franchise scoring record, previously held by Richie Guerin for over 25 years.

3) 1985: New York Knicks 113, Boston Celtics 104 (miraculous comeback against a legendary team)

When a team finishes 82-19 across the regular season and playoffs, every loss becomes notable in its own way. This Christmas Day defeat at the hands of the last place Knicks was arguably Boston’s most embarrassing of the ’85-’86 season, and also one of the most thrilling. It was part of their worst stretch of the season, losing four out of six games while Larry Bird was in and out of the lineup due to back soreness. Bird did play here, in fact logging 50 minutes, but he struggled, shooting 8-of-27 (29.6%) from the field. The Celtics still staked out a 14 point halftime lead, then led by as much as 25 in the third quarter until Patrick Ewing took over. The second year big man scored 18 of his (then career high) 32 points in the fourth quarter to lead a furious comeback, capped by blocking a Kevin McHale shot at the buzzer to force overtime. The fans got not one but two periods of free basketball before the Knicks pulled away in the second overtime for the win. This was easily the highlight of an atrocious Knicks season and also seemed to be motivation for the Celtics, who won 17 of their next 18 games.

4) 1986: New York Knicks 86, Chicago Bulls 85 (Patrick Ewing steals show from Michael Jordan with game-winner)

Like Kris Kringle or Buddy the Elf, a young Ewing was always delivering some magic to New York on Christmas. How’s this for a follow up to his incredible 1985 performance: Finishing with 28 points and 17 rebounds and hitting the game winner to steal (or “grinch,” if you will) a win from the Bulls. Granted Michael Jordan wasn’t quite in world destroying mode yet, then in his third NBA season, but he did finish ’86-’87 with his first scoring title. As was often the case, Jordan was inefficient in this game, shooting just 10-of-28 (35.7%), but still finished with 30 points. With the Knicks ahead 84-82 and less than 20 seconds remaining, Jordan missed a game-tying attempt but it was rebounded by Chicago’s Dave Corzine, who hit a put-back, was fouled, and hit the free throw to give Chicago the lead. When Trent Tucker missed a long jumper at the other end, there was Ewing, grabbing the rebound and putting it back into the rim right as the buzzer sounded. Just as it had been the year before, this turned out to be one of the best moments of an ultimately disappointing Knicks season.

5) 1994: Chicago Bulls 107, New York Knicks 104 (Scottie Pippen blocks New York, answers critics)

All eyes were on Pippen in ’93-’94 and ’94-’95. With Michael Jordan off playing baseball, Pippen was finally getting his chance to prove himself as more than an elite second banana. It had mixed results, peaking with an All-Star Game MVP and hitting the nadir in a 1994 Conference Semifinals loss to the Knicks besmirched by his temper tantrum. This was arguably Pippen’s premier performance in that span, all the better that it happened in a marquee game televised on NBC. He finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks, and that only tells part of the tale. After a late Knicks rally led by Patrick Ewing forced overtime, Pippen took over, scoring all seven Bulls points in the extra period and ending the game with a blocked shot on Hubert Davis. Ewing was terrific in this game as well, in what turned out to be his fourth and final Christmas Day appearance. The Knicks did not play on the holiday again until 1999 and Madison Square Garden didn’t become a traditional yearly host until a decade later. Ewing ended his Yuletide career averaging 29.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

6) 2000: Portland Trail Blazers 109, Los Angeles Lakers 104 (revenge served cold)

It wasn’t family or presents that inspired the Trail Blazers to circle Christmas of 2000 on their calendars. It was revenge against the Lakers, who had eliminated them in thrilling fashion from the prior playoffs. This was also a chance for Portland to prove that they were the Western Conference front-runners in ’00-’01. The 2000 Conference Finals had ended with a 15-point fourth quarter Lakers comeback in game seven to shock the Blazers. This rematch featured a late Trail Blazers rally for victory, though not quite as big and not nearly as dramatic. Los Angeles led for most of the game until the fourth quarter, when Damon Stoudamire led Portland to the win with a series of big shots and clutch free throws. Stoudamire finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Rasheed Wallace was Portland’s leading scorer with 33. This turned out to be part of a 10-game Blazers win streak to take first place in the West standings. But they were ravaged late in the season by injuries and ultimately swept in the first round by these Lakers, who were en route to a second straight title.

“The son of two ministers, who would eventually say he actually hates playing games on Christmas, [Phil] Jackson nonetheless became synonymous with the event when he was coaching.”

7) 2004: Miami Heat 104, Los Angeles Lakers 102 (Shaq and Kobe reunited, and it don’t feel good)

The animosity between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal was palpable throughout the tumultuous ’03-’04 season, and it led to a split that was as documented as any celebrity divorce. O’Neal was traded to the Heat in the summer of 2004, while Bryant signed a huge extension to stay in Los Angeles indefinitely. No dummies, the NBA league office scheduled the first Lakers-Heat matchup of ’04-’05 for the marquee of Christmas Day. Both stars underplayed their animus heading into this game, aside from the ever quotable O’Neal being asked about Bryant driving the lane on him and replying “you know what happens when a Corvette goes up against a brick wall.” There was a cordial pre-game fist bump between the two stars but otherwise no interaction of note. O’Neal finished the game with 24 points but also struggled with foul trouble and missed overtime after picking up his sixth. After his missed three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime secured the Heat victory, Bryant actually seemed relieved. No matter the result of this game, both he and O’Neal were ready to move on with their careers.

8) 2008: Los Angeles Lakers 92, Boston Celtics 83 (Phil Jackson Gets His 1,000th Win)

The son of two ministers, who would eventually say he actually hates playing games on Christmas, Jackson nonetheless became synonymous with the event as a coach. There were two impressive milestones at stake for Jackson on Christmas Day 2008. A win would make him the seventh coach ever to reach 1,000 in a career. It would also tie him with Jack Ramsay for the Christmas Day win record of 11. Not that additional hype was necessary for an NBA Finals rematch between the league’s two most storied franchises. Both teams also came into the game red hot, especially the Celtics, who were on a 19-game winning streak and held a 27-2 record. The Lakers had won nine of their last 12 to improve to 23-5 and jumped out to an early lead that they never relinquished, granting Jackson his historical victory. Jackson would actually never win a Christmas Day game again, leaving him tied with Ramsay for the record after his 2011 retirement. The Lakers went on to win the 2009 NBA Finals but not against Boston, who was eliminated early in the playoffs after losing Kevin Garnett to injury.

9) 2010: Miami Heat 96, Los Angeles Lakers 80 (Miami’s “Big Three” send a message)

Aside from maybe the ’97-’98 Bulls, the ’10-’11 Heat were the most scrutinized team in NBA history. After setting off alarms with a 9-8 start, Miami soon after exerted their dominance with a 12-game winning streak. But Miami’s first time really putting a scare into the rest of the league came on Christmas Day, in what was hyped as an NBA Finals preview. Chris Bosh led the Heat to an early sizable lead over the two-time defending champions and they never looked back, cruising to a 96-80 victory. The “Big Three” of Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade combined for 69 points, 29 rebounds, and 18 assists. By contrast, the Lakers looked downright ancient, shooting just 40.5% from the field and failing to make any meaningful defensive stops. In retrospect, this was arguably the beginning of the end of the Kobe Bryant era, as the Lakers lost in the subsequent playoffs to the Mavericks and never returned to title contention. Those same Mavericks went on to stun the Heat in the NBA Finals, re-raising questions about Miami’s chemistry and potential. While this Heat iteration ultimately compiled a relatively disappointing 2-2 NBA Finals record, they did finish undefeated in Christmas games, at 4-0.

10) 2011: Miami Heat 105, Dallas Mavericks 94 (a championship banner for Christmas)

Christmas Day on 2011 was a special one for the NBA and a true gift for fans, especially those in Dallas. After a prolonged lockout cost the league two months of the ’11-’12 season, the year finally kicked off on Christmas with a full slate of games. The marquee event that day was in Dallas, where Mavericks finally received their championship banner and rings for the 2011 NBA Finals, but then trotted out a degenerated lineup to begin their title defense. Dirk Nowitzki was still the centerpiece, but gone was defensive lynchpin Tyson Chandler, as well as key components J.J. Barea, Caron Butler, and DeShawn Stevenson. Their first game of the season came against the Heat, the team they had vanquished in David-vs-Goliath fashion in the NBA Finals. It was probably small solace for a Heat team so easily crushed under the weight of impossible expectations that they cruised to a 105-94 victory that day, led by 37 points from LeBron James. But it was a victorious start to a season that also ended auspiciously, with the Heat defeating Oklahoma City for the NBA championship.

11) 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Golden State Warriors 108 (maybe the 2016 NBA Finals upset wasn’t a fluke?)

It must have been deja vu for the Warriors on Christmas of 2016, when Kyrie Irving hit a clutch jumper to defeat them. Just six months earlier, the Cavaliers’ stunning game seven Finals upset of Golden State was capped off by an Irving three-pointer. This time, Irving was clinching a 109-108 regular season victory, finishing off a 14-point fourth quarter comeback for Cleveland. This was also notable as Kevin Durant’s initiation into the rivalry and the former Thunder superstar led all scorers with 36 points. But he also missed an opportunity to answer Irving and win the game at the buzzer, unable to get off a shot as time ran out. Irving finished the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while LeBron James paced the Cavs with 31 points and 13 rebounds. The teams squared off again one month later, with Golden State winning in a 126-91 blowout on their home floor. In fact, after this upset loss, the Warriors won 13 of their next 14 matchups against LeBron James and Cleveland, including four of five in the 2017 NBA Finals and all four in the 2018 NBA Finals.