NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 02: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks heads for the net as Isaiah Canaan #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers defends at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2015 in New York City.The New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 99-87.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Christmas Day is the NBA’s biggest regular-season event. Every year, the league bills Christmas as a showcase of its best teams, biggest rivalries and most enticing matchups. We get commercials and special jerseys and contrived storylines. The whole deal.

So naturally, according to SportsRadio 94WIP’s Spike Eskin, Christmas 2017 will feature a thrilling clash between… the Knicks and the Sixers.

If you’re a bit confused, you have good reason to be. The Knicks went 34-51 last season, while the Sixers were 28-54. Neither team came within 10 games of making the playoffs. Neither team has made offseason additions that have them dreaming of a title any time soon.

So the first reason for this somewhat ridiculous matchup is that the Knicks play on Christmas just about every year. It’s the type of tradition that no one has ever thought about long enough to realize its ridiculousness. Maybe there was a time when it made sense to have the nation’s biggest market in the spotlight on the NBA’s biggest day. But in 2017, the league’s most popular teams play in Cleveland and Oakland. Market size barely matters anymore to a television audience.

As for why the Knicks are matched against the Sixers, of all teams… we’re stumped. Maybe the league just doesn’t want a blowout?

Ok but actually, it’s possible the NBA is trying to set up a rivalry between Kristaps Porzingis and Joel Embiid, two young seven-footers with incredible skill-sets and endearing personalities. Or maybe it wants to showcase No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz as soon as possible. Or maybe it just wants to give fans in New York and Philadelphia something to get excited about.

Anyway, the rest of the Christmas Day games haven’t been announced yet, but based on what we’ve heard so far, it sounds like we’ll get Kings-Nets and Magic-Pistons or maybe Pacers-Suns.

Only kidding… we hope.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.