With the NBA 2018 - 19 regular season schedule being released this week, the games that stand out the most are the Christmas day games. As we all know, Christmas is a day for spending time with family and friends, gift exchanging and fun times. Well for us NBA fans, we get an even greater gift – back to back to back basketball, all day and all night long. This year's series of Christmas games are going to be a real treat filled with highlight reel plays, competitive intensity, and playoff implications at stake. Here's the NBA 2018 – 19 Christmas Day schedule:

• 12 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks (ESPN)
• 3 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (ABC)
• 5:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (ABC)
• 8 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (ABC/ESPN)
• 10:30 p.m. ET: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (ESPN)

But, what about the narratives? You can't have big games without a good storyline to stir up hype. For the Bucks vs Knicks, kicking off Christmas basketball at Madison Square Garden is just the appetizer we need. Two young teams squaring off on the big stage with players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Knox showing out and with reports of a possible Kristaps Porzingis "Christmas Comeback", Knicks fans may be in store for a pretty great gift. For the Thunder vs the Rockets, this pits the last two NBA regular season MVPs against one another in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Also, this will be somewhat of a "revenge" game for the newly acquired Rockets player in Carmelo Anthony who was recently bought out by the Thunder. What better than two MVP led teams looking to show who really is the second best team in the Western Conference.

Next is what personally expect to be the second best, if not the best game of the day, being the 76ers vs the Celtics. Possibly the two most talented young rosters in the league, both itching to snatch the top spot in the East. We're talking about players like Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, Gordon Hayward, Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum and so many other good role players all on one floor. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving. This game is simply superstar galore and that sounds like an exciting kind of game that is can't miss. Then comes the most anticipated game of the night being the Lakers vs the Warriors. After three years straight of facing the Warriors as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lebron James will this time play as part of the new-look Lakers. This game will be fast paced and high scoring in shootout fashion which is always entertaining. Don't be surprised if this games goes into a couple of overtimes or ends with a heartbreaking buzzer beater. Then lastly is the Trail Blazers vs the Jazz, which simply is a good "dessert" game featuring strong guard play from Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Donovan Mitchell.

Personally, I know I will be watching all these games more for the excitement rather than for the narrative, but of course, the storylines will further spark the competition. Looks like the NBA plans on giving us the greatest gift of all – great basketball.