For most of LeBron James’ tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they were a lock to play on Christmas Day.
That’s no longer the case, despite having the best record in the entire Association.
When asked about that, Cavs analyst Nick Pedone argued that it was all J.B. Bickerstaff’s fault.
On the BIGPLAY Cleveland Show, the panelists discussed how the Cavs’ lack of competitiveness in the playoffs and against the Boston Celtics during Bickerstaff’s reign caused the league to snub them from its Christmas Day slate.
The Cavs not playing on Christmas is _____
"JB Bickerstaff's fault."
presented by @NEFDirect pic.twitter.com/KSHBIaOcyz
— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) December 25, 2024
They hoped that, now that the Cavaliers have shown that they’re more competitive than the average team and have three legitimate stars in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley, they deserve to be back.
The league has done a terrible job of marketing their best teams.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who are fresh off winning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season and are doing the same again this year, also weren’t featured.
Instead, they chose to feature a mediocre Los Angeles Lakers team going against a mediocre Golden State Warriors team, both of which are flirting with .500 basketball.
It’s hard for small market teams to compete as it is.
The league should promote the teams that play the better brand of basketball regardless of where they play.
NEXT: Evan Mobley Gets Honest About His Recent Left Handed Dunks
