LeBron James and the Miami Heat head to Los Angeles for a Christmas Day showdown with the Lakers.

The NBA has five games scheduled for Christmas Day with the big one being the Miami Heat taking on the L.A. Lakers in Los Angeles.

You’ve got Miami’s Big 3 going up against the two-time NBA champions with all the celebrities sitting courtside.

By the time that game comes on, I’m might be snoozing after eating my mom’s turkey and dressing, but as long as I wake up by the fourth quarter, I’m good to go.

Anyway, the other four games aren’t too shabby either, but is each one worth missing out on a meal or gift giving? Will you fall asleep on them or fight fatigue to tune in? Here’s how I see the appeal of the five games on a scale from 1-10.

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Now that Dwight Howard and Orlando Magic have won a game against the Boston Celtics in this Eastern Conference finals series, can they get another one Wednesday at home? If Howard controls the paint, the Magic will force a Game 6.

It took the Orlando Magic three games to figure it out.

The Boston Celtics made them look bad in taking a 3-0 Eastern Conference finals series lead, but the Magic won Monday night in overtime, 96-92, to force a Game 5 Wednesday in Orlando.

Now let’s be honest here.

With no NBA team having ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, the odds are not in the Magic’s favor.

This is what is in their favor.

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If Dwight Howard can't play with fouls in Game 3 tonight, the Orlando Magic can kiss their championship aspirations goodbye.

We’re about 90 minutes before the start of Game 3  in Boston where the Orlando Magic will try avoid going down 3-0 to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are three keys for the Magic to win this game and stay in the series because if they lose tonight, it’s over.

1. Get Rashard Lewis going. After averaging 17 points in Orlando’s sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals, Lewis has scored 11 points total in the first two games of this series against the Celtics. At the same time, he can’t be standstill jump shooter. Got to mix his offensive game up.

2. Howard must keep cool. He’s been called for 42 fouls in 10 playoff games. His lowest foul total has been three and that was in Game 1 against the Hawks. Calls are going to go against him tonight, but he can’t let that frustrate him. Defense will win this game and the Magic need the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the game.

3. Contain Rondo. While the Big Three – Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce – are key components to the Celtics, point guard Rajon Rondo is the one who makes the team go. Jameer Nelson has to put pressure on him to play the defense and get Rondo in foul trouble. That is a sure-fire way to keep him from dictating the game.

The Magic are more talented than the Celtics, but Boston has had the edge in terms of point-guard play and bench play in this series and have the edge in championship experience.

Although Orlando made it to the NBA Finals last season, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Magic in five games. The Celtics beat that same Laker team in six games to win it all in 2008.

Rajon Rondo and Doc Rivers are on the same page for Boston, which is bad news for everyone else in the playoffs.

Come on David Stern.

We don’t need a break this long between playoff games. We really don’t, but then again, we’re not playing the games.

However, the time between these games is pretty ridiculous. Yo Dave, you’re better than that.

After playing Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics won’t play Game 3 until Saturday in Boston.

Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will be Sunday in Phoenix.

They played Game 2 Wednesday.

What amazing is after Game 3 of these two respective series, the remaining games will be played every other day as long as each series continues.

That’s even more puzzling, but I have a greater issue with the time in between Game 2 and Game 3. Each team should take advantage of the time off, though.

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Center Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson will have the same look they did after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's NBA Finals if the Orlando Magic are unable to figure out the Boston Celtics in this year's playoffs.

The Boston Celtics are the runaway locomotive no one in the Eastern Conference has been able to handle in this year’s playoffs.

After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, the Celtics take a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday at home.

Orlando is in big trouble.

The Magic got a big scoring night from Dwight Howard (30 points on 9 of 13 shooting), but he only got eight rebounds in Tuesday’s Game 2 loss, 95-92, at home.

So Boston has proven it can beat the Orlando even if Howard goes nuts offensively.

Here’s the laundry list of  problems for Orlando.

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The Orlando Magic are the only team that hasn't lost a game in this year's NBA playoffs.

Well, let me rephrase that.

The Orlando Magic are looking very strong.

They’re 7-0 in the playoffs and just taking Atlanta to the cleaners. Hard to gauge their wins against Atlanta because the Hawks are so disoriented, but Orlando has something to do with that.

After winning Game 3 by 30 points on Saturday, Orlando will close out its Eastern Conference series against the Hawks on Monday in Game 4.

Dwight Howard seems to have adjusted to the fouls, but what’s great about the Magic is they’ve got five guys who can get 20 points at any time.

Hard to guard a team like that. The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to have their hands full with the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals.

I know. I know.

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Mike Gansey averaged 18.4 poinst and 8.2 boards in 27 games with Erie this season.

4:45 a.m. Wednesday.

That’s what time Erie BayHawks guard Mike Gansey’s first of two plane fights exits the runway en route to China as he will play with fellow D-League players and former NBA stars Robert Horry and Chris Mullin, a member of the 1992 Dream Team that won gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics, in two charity basketball games.

Before he headed out,  Gansey did a lengthy phone interview with me about China, the BayHawks and if his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, were going to win an NBA title this season.

From nearby Olmsted Falls, Ohio, Gansey, as expected, picked the Cavaliers to win it all. Here’s what else he had to say Tuesday afternoon.

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Nike has this new commercial featuring four NBA players. I recognized one right off the bat – Kevin Durant.

Took me a while to identify Andre Iguodala and Rashard Lewis, but the fourth guy? I’m saying to myself, who is this cat with the jheri curl?

Since the commercial is so long, I finally figured it out.

Mo Williams. Fog Raw? Six fingers? Wow. He’s made the come up since coming to Cleveland during last off season, but that wig has got to go.

Courtney Lee knew it. He missed a chance to win Game 2 for the Orlando Magic.

Orlando had a chance.

A great chance.

Rookie guard Courtney Lee’s missed lay in off an alley-oop play could have given the Magic a Game 2 win at the buzzer Sunday night

Instead the Los Angeles Lakers were able to pull out the win in overtime, 101-96, to take a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals in Los Angeles. The Lakers made their final 14 free throws en route to winning Game 2.

With .06 seconds left in regulation, Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu inbounded the ball to Lee on a perfect play call. Rashard Lewis freed up Lee by settting a screen on Kobe Bryant at the foul line.

Lee rolled to the basket and Turkoglu found him at the rim with a lob pass. The pass was slightly off as Lee caught it closer to the backboard than he’d like, but still Lee had a chance to lay the ball in off the glass even with Pau Gasol challenging the shot at the rim.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Orlando.

Bryant went for 40 in tonight's win.

Led by Kobe Bryant’s 40 points, the Los Angeles Lakers opened the NBA Finals with a 100-75 Game 1 win on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

With Dwight Howard shooting just 1-of-6 from the field, the Magic didn’t get any inside scoring to force the Lakers to double down on him. So Los Angeles was able to play tighter defense on Orlando’s 3-point shooters.

Game 2 is Sunday night in Los Angeles.

The 75 points is the lowest point total for the Magic in the playoffs. I wouldn’t attribute it to the return of Jameer Nelson, but the Magic had developed a formula without him due to the shoulder injury.

Nelson took nine shots tonight. That’s taking shots away from Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu or even Howard.

So although the Magic shot a tragic 23-0f-77 from the field, maybe one of those shots Nelson missed might have been the shot Lewis or Turkoglu knocked down to get going offensively.

As for the Lakers, Bryant was magnificent, but the Lakers were the more aggressive team and took advantage of the matchups they have in their favor.