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Christmas Day is a time to celebrate the joys of the holiday season with your family. And usually, sports are right there to help you spend the day after opening gifts. Here, we present the 10 best Christmas Day games.
Photo: AP in English
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10. Hawaii vs. Houston, 2003 Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang (pictured) threw for 475 yards and five TDs to earn MVP honors, as Hawaii held on to beat Houston 54-48 in triple overtime. The game was marred by a brawl between the teams after Hawaii stopped Houston in the final overtime.
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9. New Jersey Nets vs. New York Knicks, 1984: In the greatest Christmas Day performance in NBA history, Bernard King (pictured) lit up the Nets for 60 points. But alas, it wasn't enough, as the Knicks fell 120-114.
Photo: AP in English
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8. Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1971: For the only time in NFL history, playoff games were played on Christmas Day. In the NFC divisional round, Roger Staubach completed 10-14 passes for 99 yards, and threw a TD pass to Bob Hayes (pictured) as the Cowboys won 20-12 on the way to their first Super Bowl title.
Photo: AP in English
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7. Utah vs. USC, 2001 Las Vegas Bowl: A game that was billed as an offensive shootout was anything but, as the Utes and Trojans struggled in a defensive standoff. Utah finally earned the win when the defense stopped Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer on the final drive, allowing Coach Ron McBride (pictured) to be carried off on his team's shoulders.
Photo: AP in English
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6. L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, 2008: In a rematch of the NBA Finals in which Boston had won in six games, Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and Pau Gasol added 20 as the Lakers snapped Boston's franchise-record 19-game winning streak, 92-83. The victory was the 1,000th for head coach Phil Jackson. The Lakers would go on to beat Boston in seven games in the Finals later that season.
Photo: AP in English
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5. New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls, 1994: In the year after Michael Jordan retired, Scottie Pippen finally emerged as a star in his own right. Against the Knicks, Pippen scored 36 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, and his block in overtime sealed the Bulls' 107-104 win.
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4. New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics, 1985: Patrick Ewing announced himself on the NBA stage by leading the Knicks back from a 25-point deficit to shock the eventual world champion Celtics, 113-104 in double overtime. Ewing had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way.
Photo: AP in English
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3. New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls, 1986: One year later, Ewing ruined Christmas for another legend, Michael Jordan. Despite scoring 30 points, Jordan watched as Ewing hit a short buzzer-beating jumper to give the Knicks an 86-85 win.
Photo: AP in English
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2. L.A. Lakers vs. Miami Heat, 2004: This may have been the game that put the NBA on Christmas Day on the map. It was the highly-anticipated matchup between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who were facing each other for the first time since Shaq was traded to Miami. And the game didn't disappoint. Bryant scored 42 points and dished out six assists, while Shaq scored 24 and pulled down 11 rebounds. All seemed lost when Shaq fouled out in overtime, but a second-year player named Dwyane Wade scored 29 points and added 10 assists as the Heat won 106-104.
Photo: AP in English
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1. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins, 1971: Considered one of the greatest games in NFL history, and still the longest, this marathon playoff between the Chiefs and Dolphins went into two overitmes before Garo Yepremian kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Dolphins a 27-24 win and spur them to the first of three straight Super Bowl appearances. Chiefs running back Ed Podolak set an NFL record with 350 combined yards in the game.
Photo: AP in English
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Christmas Day is a time to celebrate the joys of the holiday season with your family. And usually, sports are right there to help you spend the day after opening gifts. Here, we present the 10 best Christmas Day games.
Photo: AP in English
