It’s been a few nights since Alex Caruso became an NBA champion for the second time in his career. And yet, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard is already locked in on next season.
Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating Achilles injury might’ve somewhat overshadowed OKC’s first NBA title in franchise history. But that shouldn’t take away from what was one of the greatest collective seasons the league has ever seen. And their quick rise to stardom forced the NBA’s hand, pushing them into the national spotlight earlier than anyone expected.
“We got pushed into the national TV games in February; we were so good, and nobody expected it,” Caruso said on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. “So, [the NBA] had to add like five to 10 games where we’re playing the Cavs and the Celtics and Denver and the Lakers on TV.”
Caruso’s already hoping his small-market team can crack a Christmas Day slot next year.
“The whole thing with… 95 percent of pro sports, you have to earn it,” Caruso says. “Until you win, they don’t really care about you. They’re not going to put you on TV. They’re not going to talk about you. But once you win, you can’t ignore it. From that aspect, we better play on Christmas next year.”
Pat McAfee reminded him the NFL owns Christmas Day coverage these days, and perhaps Christmas Eve would be more realistic.
“I would love to play Christmas morning and have the rest of the day to watch football,” Caruso added. “That would be awesome.”
Indeed, it would be awesome. But Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder predicted the 2025 Christmas Day NBA schedule in AA’s Tuesday newsletter (subscribe!), and likely to Caruso’s disappointment, it’s slated for 8 p.m. ET.
This is the best possible matchup with the defending NBA champions taking on the all-time leading scorer and a recharged Lakers team looking to go further thanks to a full season with Luka Doncic. The Thunder may not be a big ratings draw on their own yet, but LeBron vs SGA could be a matchup that symbolically passes the NBA torch.
Obviously, that’s not set in stone, it’s merely a prediction. That said, if Caruso and OKC keep this up, playing on Christmas won’t just be a wish; it’ll be a given, with the team commanding the spotlight on the league’s biggest stage.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.