In the lore of Christmas Day affairs, perhaps the ripest one remains the Los Angeles Lakers-Miami Heat clash, back on December 25, 2004. This 2004 Christmas Game featured a bitter match-up between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the first time the two clashed after O’Neal’s trade to the Heat in 2004 offseason. Before the game, Shaq referred to himself as the “brick wall” and Bryant as “Corvette”, insinuating that there is no getting past the big fella.
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After eight years of partnership that brought three championships, things had gone south between the two. There was no love lost and a lot of shots had been fired before the season and during the season. There could have been no better intrigue than two former teammates winning three rings together, now becoming one of the most bitter rivals. Therefore, this Christmas Game shattered the viewership numbers and broke a February 1998 Regular Season viewership record.
The viewers witnessed an epic battle, with Shaq living true to his word of being a “brick wall”. He fouled the 2007-08 MVP several times during the game and suffered an early elimination too when the game was tied at 91:91 with around 2:15 left in the fourth quarter.
Shaq had dropped 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks by then. On the flip side, the Black Mamba was up for the challenge. Although he missed the game-winning triple in overtime, he dipped in his then-season-high 42 points. But the guard combo of Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones closed out the game 104:102 in favor of the Heat.
Kobe Bryant and Shaq face off for the first time as opponents on Christmas (2004).
One of the most hyped games in NBA history.
pic.twitter.com/M9wu4ctFQJ— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) December 24, 2023
Reflecting upon missing the game-winning shot, Bryant expressed, “I had a pretty good look, but I didn’t get the balance I would have liked on the shot.” Meanwhile, Shaq had predicted the outcome.
“I knew that it wasn’t going to go in. It’s called Shaq O’Neal fate,” proclaimed the 3x NBA Finals MVP.
At the same time, the former duo claimed that they were over the beef and wanted to move on. Claiming that the “brick wall” comment was a tactic to hype the game up, Bryant stated, “Hopefully, this is all behind us now”. On the other hand, Shaq also expressed, “I’m over it. It’s old news to me.”
The drama between the two Lakers greats thus reached its zenith and also died down a bit during the cinematic Christmas Day fixture in 2004. However, this Xmas game still couldn’t touch a 13-year-old record.
Indeed, a Merry Christmas for the NBA
The Xmas Day battle between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles in 2004 came in at number three with 13.81 million viewers. In the Christmas Day viewership records, five records belong to the 1990s and all of them feature the Chicago Bulls. The most watched Christmas Games came just two years apart from each other. At number 2, the Bulls-Celtics match-up in 1991 grabbed a viewership of 14.33 million. It was the Jordan-Bird marquee match-up that brought this immense viewership.
At number 1 stands the Bulls-Magic match-up with 15.35 million viewers. It was the 1993-94 season when the Bulls were holding their fort without Michael Jordan. However, as a sophomore, Shaq had already become a superstar. But the main reason for this viewership number is the transition from the Oilers-49ers NFL clash which drew 26 million viewers.
