Bill Simmons on why Lakers-Warriors Xmas showdown was part of reason NBA’s ratings are down

The NBA had an entertaining slate of games on Christmas Day, to put it mildly. Four of the five contests were decided by single digits, and some of the greatest players and teams in the league suited up.

However, the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors was perhaps the best NBA game on Christmas. Los Angeles won the contest by two points, and the game went down to the wire. It took a game-winner from Austin Reaves in the waning moments of the fourth quarter to secure a victory for the Lakers.

Despite how exciting the Christmas matchup was, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons implied that the showdown wasn’t in fact all that beneficial for the league.

“The Steph [Curry]-LeBron [James] thing last night was the solution and the problem at the same time,” Simmons said when speaking on the dip in ratings the NBA has seen. “Because it was the same thing for the Olympics too. It was awesome watchin’ those guys. ‘Hey, the old guys. Look at it — they still got it.’ But it’s still coming at the expense of everybody else. Even yesterday, it’s in that 8 o’clock — it’s in the best spot. It’s after football’s over, and that’s the signature game and it’s basically two .500 teams.

“And it’s guys that have been in the league since 2003 and 2009, respectively. And yet OKC wasn’t on Christmas Day. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] wasn’t on Christmas Day. Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) was buried at the beginning of the day.”

James and Curry were probably the top performers for their respective teams on one of the marquee days of the NBA season. The former — who is also the league’s oldest player at 39 and just days away from his 40th birthday — totaled 31 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.

As for Curry, he totaled a game-high 38 points while shooting 14-of-24 from the field and 8-of-15 from 3-point range. He also nailed a massive 3 to tie the game up at 113 apiece with only seconds remaining.

Unfortunately, both Curry and James are seemingly nearing the end of their stints in the NBA. James has played more than 20 seasons in the league, and Curry is in his 16th season in the NBA and as a member of the Warriors.

While the future Hall of Famers stole the show on Christmas, Reaves played great as well, and unlike Curry and James, he’s a spring chicken. He contributed a lot more than just his game-winning layup, as he finished with a 26-point triple-double and knocked down four shots from deep.

James and Curry will likely be missed by countless NBA fans when they decide to retire from professional basketball, but the league still seemingly has a bright future ahead of it with all the young talent playing today. Whether or not the NBA will see its ratings dip even further without them in the league remains to be seen, however.