Pick your poison for this Christmas day.  This year, both of the games in the NBA Christmas Classic will provide a bit more excitment to the viewer than mere athletic competition.

This Christmas, fans will be subject to the much anticipated rematch pitting The Indiana Pacers versus The Detroit Pistons and the long awaited match up between the feuding Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O?Neal.  

The Pacers-Pistons will play each other at 12:30 p.m. EST for the first time since the infamous brawl in Detroit that left many players involved trading in their uniforms for suits.

If that is not enough, the eager viewer may also tune into the 3:30 p.m. EST game pitting the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Miami Heat.  Many viewers are looking for something to happen between Shaq and Kobe.  The two have developed a feud that is one step from becoming a pay-per-view event at the Mirage Casino.  Never known as a big fan of television, former Lakers Coach Phil Jackson is even thinking about tuning in to this game.

"That's going to be interesting to see what Shaq does when Kobe tries to go to him more than anything else," Jackson said. "How is he going to defend the post if Kobe wants to drive it? Kobe likes to go in there and take contact. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

In a society in which many television viewers cannot get enough of watching other people?s problems, tomorrows games should provide them with a healthy dose of that good-old-fashioned drama.