The Miami Heat have played 14 times on Christmas Day. They are 12-2 in those games, including a win over the Philadelphia 76ers last season. In fact, their last Christmas Day loss was in 2007. They have won their last nine appearances in the NBA’s holiday showcase.
But Miami won’t have a chance to defend its record this year.
The Heat were not chosen to be featured on the Dec. 25 slate of games. Here’s the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule:
San Antonio at New York (12 pm ET, ABC/ESPN)
Minnesota at Dallas (2:30 pm ET, ABC/ESPN)
Philadelphia at Boston (5 pm ET, ABC/ESPN)
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State (8 pm ET, ABC/ESPN)
Denver at Phoenix (10:30 pm ET, ABC/ESPN)
The Miami Heat have won nine straight games on Christmas, but won't have a chance to defend that streak this year.
So, how can the Heat get back to being involved in the league’s marquee day of the season?
The NBA has criteria to decide which teams will be featured on Christmas Day, which is often one of the first features of the schedule to be announced. Teams that won their conference, have the highest-wattage stars or play at Madison Square Garden are given preference.
That’s why the Heat played on Christmas Day last year after advancing to the 2023 NBA Finals. For as big a star as Jimmy Butler might be, he’s not the same international draw as guys like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
As a refreshing change, the league also decided to promote rising stars like San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards during the primetime slate.
For the Heat to return to being a staple on Christmas, they need to acquire a player that demands the spotlight, like they had when they employed Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron.
Until then, they’ll need to make the Finals for a chance to be a part of the NBA’s biggest day of the year.