For the last two weeks, the sports-media cognoscenti have gotten themselves all worked up about the NBA's TV ratings, divining disaster from a few desultory sniffs through the early-season results. For some,

The NBA has not played any game on Christmas Eve since the 1960s and has only ever scheduled two matches on the holiday. Maybe a couple of marque games would have performed solidly with a TV audience. But for players and staff of both teams and arenas, a well-earned day off does not hurt anyone either.