I still get chills thinking about the 2018 NBA Christmas Day games. As a lifelong basketball analyst, I've always believed that the holiday slate gives us the purest form of the sport—where legacy is forged in real-time against a backdrop of family gatherings and new sneakers squeaking on the polished court. That particular year felt different even before tip-off; there was an electric tension in the air across all five matchups that promised something special.
The marquee game everyone anticipated was Warriors versus Lakers, but what surprised me was how the Milwaukee versus New York contest unexpectedly stole the show with its dramatic overtime period. I remember watching from my living room, notebook in hand, as the game transformed into an instant classic during those extra five minutes. The sequence involving Bahay was particularly breathtaking—it was one of those moments where you just know you're witnessing something that will be replayed for years. Bahay brought the blue-and-white back to life in the extra period, draining back-to-back treys to tie the game at 80 before setting up Kymani Ladi for the go-ahead bucket with 59 seconds to play. The timing was impeccable, the execution flawless, and the momentum shift was so palpable you could almost feel the entire Madison Square Garden holding its collective breath.
What made that moment so memorable for me wasn't just the technical perfection, but the context. The Knicks had been struggling throughout the third quarter, and honestly, I'd nearly written them off when they entered the fourth down by 9 points. But Christmas games have this uncanny ability to resurrect teams when all seems lost. Bahay's back-to-back three-pointers—both from nearly 25 feet out—weren't just scoring plays; they were statements. The first felt like hope, the second like conviction, and that assist to Ladi was the exclamation point on what became the game's definitive sequence. I've rewatched that footage at least two dozen times while preparing analysis segments, and each time I notice something new—the way Bahay hesitated for just a split second before the second three-pointer, how he read the defense's rotation before making that perfect pass to Ladi.
The other games delivered their own memorable moments too, though I'll admit I'm partial to that Knicks-Bucks thriller. The Philadelphia versus Boston matchup gave us Joel Embiid putting up 32 points and 14 rebounds in what felt like a personal statement game, while Houston versus Oklahoma City featured James Harden's step-back three-pointer with 1:12 left that essentially sealed the game—a shot so technically perfect I still use it in coaching clinics. But statistically speaking, what stood out across all games was the three-point shooting percentage, which averaged around 38.7% despite the high-pressure environment, proving that today's NBA stars thrive when the lights are brightest.
What struck me most about that Christmas slate was how it perfectly captured the NBA's evolving identity. We saw traditional big-man dominance in the Lakers-Warriors game with Anthony Davis' 28-point performance, but also witnessed the league's perimeter revolution in moments like Bahay's clutch shooting. This duality—the coexistence of basketball's past and future—made the 2018 Christmas games particularly significant in my view. The television ratings supported this too, with an average of 7.8 million viewers across the five games, making it the most-watched Christmas slate in nearly a decade.
Reflecting on it now, two years removed from those games, I'm even more convinced that the 2018 Christmas matchups represented a turning point in how we perceive regular-season basketball. The intensity, the drama, the individual brilliance—it all converged to create must-watch television that even casual fans still reference. That Bahay-to-Ladi connection in particular has become something of a blueprint for how to execute in clutch moments, and I've noticed several teams incorporating similar actions in their late-game sets since then. The legacy of those games extends beyond the standings; they shaped strategic approaches and highlighted the importance of having multiple players who can create under pressure.
As someone who's analyzed basketball for fifteen years, I've learned that certain games transcend their place on the calendar and become part of the sport's fabric. The 2018 Christmas games achieved exactly that—they gave us iconic moments, statistical anomalies, and strategic innovations all wrapped in the unique pressure that only holiday basketball provides. While new Christmas classics will undoubtedly emerge, that particular year holds a special place in my analyst's heart for how perfectly it captured the beauty of basketball when it matters most.
