The day will begin seemingly perfect enough on Christmas Day.

ABC/ESPN play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco will walk into Madison Square Garden and feel the festive atmosphere at the World’s Most Famous Arena. He will call the New York Knicks-Cleveland Cavaliers (noon ET), the first of five NBA games that ABC/ESPN will simulcast throughout Christmas Day on both its linear and streaming platforms. He will work that game with both respected colleagues and friends (Doris Burke, Jorge Sedano).

The day will get better, though. Beyond calling the Knicks-Cavs game, Ruocco is mostly excited about seeing San Antonio Spurs’ third-year star Victor Wembanyama play against the Oklahoma City Thunder (2:30 pm ET). Ruocco will later soak in LeBron James and Kevin Durant possibly playing in their last Christmas Day head-to-head matchup when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets (8 pm ET). Ruocco likely won’t get clarity on the jumbled Western Conference. But he could at least be entertained with a Stephen Curry-Cooper Flagg showdown (Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks, 5 pm ET) and Nikola Jokić-Anthony Edwards highlight reel (Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves, 10:30 pm ET).

Even in an increasingly crowded marketplace over the holidays, the NBA and its broadcast partners remain bullish on the interest over the marquee Christmas Day games. Disney reported that ESPN and ABC sold out of ad inventory for its five NBA games and oversaw an 18% increase in ad revenue compared to last year. The network also reported a strong amount of returning advertisers with increased investment (about 66%) and new brands (37).

Amid that backdrop, Ruocco spoke to EssentiallySports on a number of topics surrounding the NBA’s Christmas Day Games. Ruocco sized up the Eastern and Western Conference landscape. He also explained why he’s most excited to watch Wembanyama, revealed an interesting tidbit about how Kevin Durant views LeBron James, and shared his favorite JJ Redick story when they worked in the broadcast booth.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

You’re calling the Cavs-Knicks game. Many thought both the Knicks and the Cavs would be at the top of the East at this point. What’s your read on why the Cavs aren’t where we expected them to be?

Ruocco: “Before the year, because of the injuries to Boston, Indiana and Milwaukee, the clear-cut consensus was that the top two Eastern Conference teams would be New York and Cleveland. The Knicks have every bit lived up to the pre-season billing and projection of them as a favorite. You see what they just did with winning the NBA Cup, the way their offense looks under Mike Brown and the way they’ve gelled, the way that Jalen Brunson has played, they have an excellent chance going into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference favorite.

With Cleveland, last year’s regular-season felt charmed. This year’s regular-season so far has felt cursed. The jury is out. Donovan Mitchell has played so well that it’s kept them afloat. But they have been missing such key pieces that it’s tough to get a read on them. I think sometimes when that happens, there is enough time for things to turn. If they get completely healthy with getting [Evan] Mobley, [Sam] Merrill and Max Strus back, you would say, ‘Let me see them at full strength.’ If they had a runway, I think they could easily go into the playoffs as just as much a contender to win the East or at least a notch below the Knicks. But the teams that you’re waiting to get healthy in order to see them at their best, it feels like they never quite do so. That’s the trend in the NBA we’ve seen in recent years. So that would be my concern right now with the Cavs. Is this going to be one of those seasons where they’re never quite healthy?”

With the Knicks, what have they done to take their game to another level under Mike Brown?

Ruocco: “Offensively, they have a little bit more read-and-react and a little bit more flow to the way that they have played. We’ve seen them play with a greater fluidity and efficiency under Mike Brown. We saw flashes of it in the first few weeks. Now we’ve seen it pretty consistently over the last few weeks. Even though they had efficient offenses the last couple of years, they relied heavily on things like second-chance points. This year, they’re able to find ways to be efficient without being so reliant on that. They’re second in the league in offensive rating. Only Denver is better.

You may have wondered, is that offensive approach going to hurt Jalen Brunson and his effectiveness? No, not at all. If anything, he’s only gotten better. They’re fourth in the league in 3-point percentage. Last year, they were 8th. We’ve seen a little less predictability and rigidity on that end. Their players have benefited from that this year. Whether or not that continues, we’ll see. But so far, I think it’s been a good thing. They’re shooting way more 3s than a season ago as a product of Mike Brown’s offense. There are more 3s, more read-and-react, more flow and more efficiency.”

Of all the Christmas Day games, which star player are you most looking forward to seeing?

Ruocco: “Wemby. I called his first Christmas Game last year [against the Knicks]. During his performance at the Garden, it really felt like he was on his way to a 50-20 game [42 points, 18 rebounds]. There was a potential four-point play that got challenged and overturned. That thwarted his momentum and he didn’t get the ball as much in the final couple of minutes. But I’m looking forward to him. He’s become such a unique watch. I called his first game of the season against Dallas. I was about as awestruck as I have been watching an athlete courtside in my life. It’s jaw-dropping. You feel compelled to say to whoever is around you, ‘This is astonishing; I haven’t seen anything like this before.’

You add in that they’re playing Oklahoma City. It’s well documented that he and Chet [Holmgren] don’t like each other. That’s become a budding rivalry. We saw how incredible their game was in the Cup semifinals. I’m really looking forward to that game. Every game has its own merit and interest. There’s Klay [Thompson] going back to Golden State or just watching Steph on that stage. There’s watching LeBron and KD. Minnesota and Denver have become a rivalry. But I’m looking forward to seeing Wemby and Chet go at it.”

Who do you favor between the Spurs and Thunder, both on Christmas and if they meet in the playoffs?

Ruocco: “I favor OKC because they’re the defending champs. They’ve only gotten deeper and better from a season ago. The fact that they were able to win a championship last year and do so with a roster that is less healthier than the one they have this year, now that J-Dub is back, I would lean toward Oklahoma City. But Wemby is unique enough that I would never write the Spurs off. In the NBA, if you have the best player on the floor, you always have a shot. Shai is the best player on the floor in that series. But Wemby is so unique that there is a chance that SGA is the reigning MVP, but Wemby is the most impactful player in the series.

But I expect the Thunder to win. The Spurs haven’t gone through the playoff tests that this young Thunder team went through to build to that moment last season. So this is probably going to be that playoffs for the Spurs. They’re really good, maybe they win a series or two and then come up against a tough test. Then that’s a building block toward eventually winning a championship. But this year, I definitely favor OKC. The Thunder look like a super team because of how young their core is and the assets they have. So they can keep adding. But it’s good to have a foil like the Spurs. You look at their core and how young they are. They have assets to work with too that they can keep adding. That’s a legitimate contender to match with the Thunder. You need that. You don’t want a dynastic team not to be challenged. I think the Spurs are the right challengers for the Thunder.”

With Dallas and Golden State, which of the rough starts surprises you the most?

Ruocco: “I’m actually not surprised by either. I watched Dallas that first game. I know things have stabilized a little bit at the point guard position since they inserted [Ryan] Nembhard into the starting lineup. But I thought they were rudderless. They really miss Kyrie [Irving]. Yes, they’ve been talented on the defensive end and Cooper [Flagg] has been terrific as a rookie. But it usually takes a while for a great rookie to make someone a contending team. I thought the projections they could be were overblown, considering they already were missing their top star in Kyrie. You add in the lack of availability elsewhere on the roster, whether it’s Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford. I’m not that surprised, honestly, about Dallas’ struggles. It’s going to be a battle for Dallas to find its way into the playoff picture. I’d be surprised if they can climb higher than in one of the Play-In spots. Could they be dangerous as a Play-In? Yeah, they could be. Kyrie and AD are healthy and Flagg is a little more seasoned by then. Dallas could be dangerous then. But I’m not surprised about their struggles. With Golden State, I’m not surprised about their struggles. Older teams, even if they have talent, are usually not tearing through the regular season.”

In light of the Rockets-Lakers game, what’s your favorite LeBron-KD moment in the Finals or anything else?

Ruocco: “That’s a good question. When Kevin was with the Nets, I got to know him a little bit better. He was great and wonderful to deal with. I’ve always been an admirer of his game. Even though I called several of his games at ESPN and as an opponent at Nets games, when you get to watch someone up close every day, it always deepens your knowledge and appreciation of players’ strengths and weaknesses. LeBron and KD went all of those years without meeting because of their injuries (2019-23). Then they played against each other multiple times early in the [2023-24] with the Suns and Lakers. I had one of those games, so I sent KD a message. I said, ‘What’s something about LeBron’s game that you wish that you had in your game?’ And he just said, ‘Nah, I’m good with my game, man.’

I love that. Of course, that should be his mentality. I wasn’t asking him to lionize LeBron or ask if he’d rather have his game. I was thinking more of it through a micro-lens on whether he’d take one aspect. Kevin Durant never walks on the floor and feels that he’s second to anybody. That answer was emblematic of that. I love that. You can see the way they compete through that prism. They have such respect for each other’s games. They are students of the game. They’re hoop heads. They consume basketball at all levels. LeBron and KD don’t just watch the NBA. They watch women’s hoops nonstop, too. And when they take the floor, these are two all-time competitors. Both are just all-timers who love to compete and have an appreciation for their places in history.”

They’ll face off against each other again in March and maybe in the playoffs. But how will you soak in this might be the last LeBron-KD matchup on Christmas Day?

Ruocco: “It’s just about enjoying it. So often when we’re watching players, we’re either taking it for granted or we’re viewing it through a comparison. Sometimes it’s just fun to be in awe. When you think about how effective these guys still are, I’m just going to watch that game in awe of KD and in awe of LeBron and in awe of what they’ve accomplished.”

Between the Rockets and the Lakers, which team seems most equipped to challenge the Thunder or maybe even upset them in the playoffs?

Ruocco: “I would say the Lakers because of Luka [Dončić]. Luka is the best player between the two teams. We have seen Luka make a Finals run with a supporting cast that you could say are on-par with or even less than what he has on the Lakers right now. He doesn’t have the running mate that is Kyrie. Austin Reaves and LeBron, at this stage, isn’t that. But Luka is so good. The way he plays is so heliocentric that any team he’s on has a chance in any series. We’ve seen him in the playoffs and what impact he can make. So I’d go with the Lakers.

But the thing I like about Houston is they have a lot of youth. They have young athletes. If they had [Fred] VanVleet healthy, I definitely would be looking at them as a legitimate contender and bigger than the Lakers. But not having him is significant, especially in the playoffs. That could be a factor. But because they have a lot of two-way, athletic and young talented players, that would be the biggest reason to get excited about them. Plus, KD still at his best, is the guy you can give the ball to and get a bucket in those clutch moments. I give the Lakers a slight edge because of Luka and also my boy, JJ [Redick], is their head coach and is a good friend. I’m excited for him, and what a wonderful job he’s done. Those series will be great. If you get a Lakers-Spurs or Houston-OKC, those will be really incredible series.”

What’s your favorite JJ story when you all worked together in the broadcast booth?

Ruocco: “I have so many. He’s one of my all-time favorite people to grab a post-game Negroni with. We both lived in New York, so we used to take a lot of the same flights and coordinate that together. He’s maybe the only analyst I’d ever work with who would call me the day before and be like, ‘Hey, what suit are you wearing?’ He would try and make us match. It was fun. It was also a window into his level of detail. One of my favorite stories is we were on a flight to Milwaukee and he was into his iPad. I could see he was watching film for the entire flight. We get off and I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He was like, ‘I was watching inverted pick-and-rolls for two hours. I was watching all the different ways they run these inverted pick-and-rolls.’

He was saying that with a window that, ‘Clearly I’m going to be coaching someday. Clearly, I need to be coaching.’ I selfishly would try to angle the merits of staying in broadcasting and not having to deal with the stress of being a coach. But it was so in his blood that it was going to happen and he was going to be great at it. It was emblematic when he couldn’t stop watching inverted pick-and-roll footage on a little flight to Milwaukee on a regional jet where the Wi-Fi was shaky. He still managed to watch that footage over and over again.”

And I’m sure now he’s doing that even more.

Ruocco: “I’m sure he is, with a nice glass of wine in his hand (laughs). He was an amazing, amazing teammate. We became really, really close. It was super fun for JJ, Richard [Jefferson] and me. We’re all around the same age and became really tight friends. I’m thrilled for JJ and definitely miss him and working with him. But I’m thrilled for him and the job he’s done.”

With Wolves-Nuggets, where do you see those teams fit in in this wild, wild Western Conference?

Ruocco: Denver is the biggest contender to OKC. San Antonio is fascinating, but one thing it lacks is experience with going through a playoff run. Denver has won a championship. I think Denver is the biggest challenge to Oklahoma City, and they challenged them to seven games last season. They still have the best player in the NBA in Nikola Jokić, who seemingly continues to get better and better. We take it for granted. But this guy is averaging 29.4 points while shooting 60.5% from the floor, 42.1% from 3 and 84.1% from the line, 12.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists. It’s insane. But it’s become normalized because he’s just that good. Granted, they’ve had some injury issues with some key pieces with Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. Those are significant pieces. But I still like them as the biggest challenge to the Thunder.

With Minnesota, they have shown us two years in a row that they’re capable of making a deep playoff run. I don’t see why this year can’t be any different. If Denver or Minnesota go up against San Antonio, they could get knocked out in the first round because the West has some of those teams that have legitimate experience and talent. If you look at the West, it’s Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Timberwolves and Rockets. But you can make a cogent Conference Finals case for all of those teams. I don’t know if you can make a case for all of them going to the NBA Finals. But you can make a case for all of them at least getting to the Conference Finals. I think Denver can still win a championship, though, if they get healthy again.”

Detroit obviously would’ve had a case to play on Christmas. But regardless, all of these Christmas games reveal the contrast in the parity between the West and East. How do you size up the East landscape?

Ruocco: “Detroit is really interesting. The Pistons fascinate me. Could they be a team with national appeal? There’s something of an underdog with them because of the way they previously struggled mightily for a long period of time. But I do wonder if the Pistons can become a national team. I absolutely think they are for real. Cade Cunningham is incredible. They can win the East. They also can add to whatever they have. They have the necessary assets to add. I love Detroit. They’re interesting to watch. They’re fun. JB Bickerstaff did a great job in Cleveland and is doing another great job in Detroit.

Boston fascinates me. After a rough opening week or two, they’ve been really good. You need [Jayson] Tatum back to believe they can make a run to the Conference Finals. But it’s been interesting to see how good they’ve been. Philadelphia is the one that I look at in the East. We had all given up on Philly and the idea they could be a contender because they’ve disappointed for so many years. [Joel] Embiid has not been able to stay healthy. But this is a really deep Philadelphia team if they can get their main guys healthy. If they can get Embiid and Paul George playing in the playoffs, they’re a really deep team this year. Their top end is maybe better than any team in the East. They’re right there with the Knicks. But I don’t think anyone believes in their reliability. That leaves them on the outside. But I’m curious. I’m not writing them off completely. They’ve played well enough with Embiid not playing a lot of games.

Orlando is another team that we haven’t seen a lot of runway, either, because of health. This is now a theme for them. If they were fully healthy, I think they’re a tough team to beat. But they’ve had Franz [Wagner] out, [Jalen] Suggs out and Paolo [Banchero] out. It’s hard to get a true feel. Like I had said earlier, usually those teams don’t ever become fully healthy. If Orlando was fully healthy, I’d give them just as much of a chance as Detroit or New York. But I don’t know if we’re going to see it.”

Beyond what we discussed, anything else you’d want to add about calling an NBA game on Christmas or about the games?

Ruocco: “The Garden is so special on Christmas Day. There’s something about that noon game. When you walk into it, there’s a really special and palpable energy. You can feel the holiday alive inside of that building. I have been lucky enough to do that game at noon many times. As a New Yorker, I have a deep appreciation for it. I also have an appreciation for the geography of it with young kids. For anyone that has never experienced it, it’s a pilgrimage worth making to be at the Garden on Christmas. It really feels like this special, special place to be on that day. I love getting to do it. I get to do this with Doris and Jorge, two people I consider good friends even outside of work. I’m super pumped about it. I don’t take it for granted. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.