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Report: NBA to have five games on Christmas Day

Philadelphia 76ers v Chicago Bulls

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 21: Chicago Bulls mascot “Benny” dunks a ball dressed as Santa Claus during a break in a game between the Bulls and the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center on December 21, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the 76ers 121-76. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Benny the Bull

Jonathan Daniel

The NBA’s season opener has apparently gotten bigger.

What David Stern said would be a triple-header has now grown to be five games, according to the New York Times.

The first game will be on TNT, followed by two on ABC and two on ESPN. The league will announce the details of the five-game opening day on Friday. The first game will begin at noon Eastern, followed by tip-offs at 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Expect the first game on TNT to be the Celtics vs. Knicks game from Madison Square Garden. The two ABC games will be a finals rematch of Dallas vs. Miami followed by the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Bulls. All of those were scheduled Christmas Day games prior to the lockout.

The other two games are unknown, but expect the 10:30 p.m. start to be a West Coast game.

One other bet is that you will see big names and matchups as the league will want to make as big a splash as possible. My gut would say the Thunder would be in there somewhere and that the late game will include Blake Griffin and the Clippers. But that’s just a guess.