Locked Out No More: NBA Tips Off on Christmas Day - East Idaho News
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Locked Out No More: NBA Tips Off on Christmas Day

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Getty N 122511 NBAKnicks?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1324834556339Al Bello/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A shortened NBA season finally gets underway on Christmas Day when the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics tip off at Madison Square Garden.

“I’m very excited basketball is back,” a fan at the game told ABC News on Sunday.

Many basketball fans feared they wouldn’t see their favorite team hit the hardwood this season because of a lockout. But the NBA’s players and owners finally came to an agreement, clearing the way for a 66-game season that kicks off with five games on Christmas Day.

“I really thought there would be no season,” another fan told ABC News. “I thought the differences were too far apart money-wise and total revenue and all that.”

Fans were out in force Sunday at Madison Square Garden; many of them wore Santa hats, others waved towels and wore Knicks jerseys.

Other games slotted for Christmas Day include the Miami Heat at the Dallas Mavericks (ABC), the Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Lakers (ABC), Orlando at Oklahoma City (ESPN), and the LA Clippers at Golden State (ESPN).

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

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