Giannis Essentially Ripped The NBA For Not Scheduling The Bucks To Play On Christmas And He's Absolutely Right

Ethan Miller. Getty Images.

With the NBA's Christmas Day slate just a few days away, I almost wonder if you gave Adam Silver truth serum and asked dif he wished he could revise the scheduled slate if he would admit what we all know

Yes, yes he would.

As it stands now, here's a reminder of the Christmas Day slate that came out before the season

Fast forward to now, and I think this slate goes a long way in showing what the actual problem is when it comes to the NBA product. This is their showcase day, where they want to promote their biggest stars and best teams, yet there were two GLARING omissions. 

If we were to be truthful about this slate, you'd see the NBA simply cannot let go of their previous era of superstars. Even if that means passing on what is currently happening in today's NBA. We get it, there are only so many Steph/LeBron games left before they retire. The thing is, the Warriors and the Lakers kind of stink. Both are fighting like hell to stay out of the Play In, and that's not exactly a surprise considering that's exactly what the deal was with both teams last year as well. 

The Suns, who were never healthy last year, are once again dealing with injuries and currently sit in 11th in the West. But you know, Kevin Durant. I get that the league probably didn't think every Sixer would get hurt, but they need to stop trying to make Philly/Boston a rivalry. We've seen it. It's not. 

Two teams you obviously don't see in that list are the Thunder and the Bucks. You know, arguably the second best team in the NBA (OKC), and a MIL team that has played on Christmas before and employs arguably the second best player on the planet (Giannis). Somehow, those names and teams aren't marketable or worth a game? Welcome to the real problem in the NBA! 

So when we get a story that includes Giannis essentially slamming the NBA for this, he's absolutely 100000% correct

“There’s gotta be an algorithm because if it’s — how can I say — like a popularity contest, I can give you facts. You want me to? Two of the NBA All-Star starters, Dame (Lillard) and Giannis, and the All-Star MVP, right? And the No. 1 vote-getter — not in the East, in the whole NBA — is not in the Christmas game? What? No, it’s a fact. The votes came out last year. I was the No. 1. Dame was a starter. I was a starter. Dame won the MVP. Dame won the 3-point contest. Maybe that has nothing to do with it. I believe we were one of the best teams in the East last year. Maybe not this year, OK. We don’t get a Christmas game. Why? Because we got a small market? Maybe that’s the case. Or I want to believe what I tell you, I think there’s an algorithm within the NBA that they choose which team will get the most attention, the most viewership that day.”

Giannis did sort of answer his own question there. It's clear that Adam Silver and the NBA don't really care about giving what would be the best possible matchups/marketing their next wave of stars. They care about who they feel will draw the most attention, even if the quality of basketball those teams play stinks. LeBron fans, Steph fans, that's what the league cares about. I don't exactly agree with the big market thing, because the Wolves, Nuggets, and Spurs all made the cut. 

But what this Christmas slate does do is show what I consider a much more glaring problem in the NBA than "3PT shooting". They can't move on from the past era. Instead of putting marketing effort and dollars into showing a team like OKC and an MVP candidate like SGA, we just get the same matchups we've been watching for over a decade, even if the teams those stars play on stink. 

It wasn't a surprise that OKC was awesome again this season, they literally did this all last year! It's not as if Giannis and Dame didn't exist before this current turnaround they're on, and they sure as shit have a better track record of not being ass than some other teams that got the nod. 

In a league where there's a clear marketing issue, imagine not having 2 of the top 3 MVP candidates who also happen to play on some of the best teams not get the nod on a day that's intended to showcase the NBA's best talent and best teams? All so what, we can watch more of the fucking Lakers? That's pathetic.