The 2011-12 NBA schedule for a season that may not happen has been released, and there is a mild surprise in the Christmas Day offering. After playing five games on Christmas day in each of the last three years, the NBA has dialed it back to three games this season.
The headliner is a 2:30 p.m. EST NBA Finals rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat in Dallas on ABC. The Mavericks won Games 4 and 5 in Dallas before topping the Heat in Game 6 to win the title.
Following that game, the Chicago Bulls will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles at 5 p.m. EST on ABC. The Bulls had the league's best record in the regular season, but fell to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lakers failed in their bid for a three-peat.
The day's action will begin at noon EST with the Boston Celtics facing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on ESPN. The two teams faced each other in the first round of the playoffs last season, with the Celtics sweeping.
You can view the full 2011-2012 NBA schedule on NBA.com.