By Jon Palmer

Every year around Christmas time, countless little girls and boys lose sleep over the thought of waking up on Christmas morning and sprinting down the stairs to behold the vast array of gifts that await them under their Christmas trees. The sleep that they do get is filled with similarly inspired dreams. Those same girls and boys know to be on their best behavior, for a jolly, heavyset man in red is sure to be making his list and, just to be sure, checking it twice. If they've been good, the children will receive all the desires of their little hearts. If they've been bad, however, they'll have to wait another year to get the goodies from ol' Saint Nick.

NBA fans must have been awfully good this year.

Hanging over the mantle of NBA fanatics was a stocking - bursting at the seams and stuffed to the brim with Eastern Conference action. Inside it was a down-to-the-wire battle between the Pistons and the Magic, two of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference, coached by two of the most underrated coaches in the league - Rick Carlisle and Doc Rivers. The matchup had Tracy McGrady at center stage, scoring 46 points, and Richard Hamilton doing everything in his power to respond. It was a good day for NBA fans, with enough action to make any NBA Christmas a merry one.

But that wasn't all that the warm-hearted man in red left for the fans to enjoy. Wednesday also gave birth to a thorough lashing of the Celtics, courtesy of the New Jersey Nets, who proved that they are the team to beat in the east. The Nets' performance against Boston epitomized New Jersey basketball - team cohesiveness, tough defense, and relentless effort and hustle on the glass. Jason Kidd's squad showed the rest of the league that a 2002 NBA Finals sweep didn't nullify the Nets' status as the top team in the Eastern Conference.

As if all of that action wasn't enough to satisfy even the most frivolous NBA obsessor, Santa left a package under the tree - a very big package. Inside it was a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals - the Kings against the Lakers - set in Staples Center in Los Angeles.

This matchup was far and away the best of the three Christmas showdowns, pouring gas on the fire of a heated rivalry berthed last season. The game had something for every NBA fan. Young stars like Kobe Bryant and Bobby Jackson dazzled onlookers with incredible skill and athleticism, while savvy veterans Jimmy Jackson and Robert Horry showed that they still have what it takes. The two teams' franchise big men - Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Webber - showed stretches of unstoppable dominance. Bill Walton called the game as only he is known to do, and Scot Pollard was seen on the sidelines sporting spectacles that brought back distant memories of Kurt Rambis. The Staples Center crowd actually rose to its feet several times - uncharacteristic of the fans during the Lakers' dismal start this season. The game had a playoff-like intensity about it as both teams played physically and fast-paced, wetting fans' tastebuds at the prospect of a playoff meeting this June.

Kings fans gained confidence in their team's ability to contend with the champion Lakers, and pulling out a close victory against their most bitter rivals could prove to provide the Kings with the mental edge they'll need to defeat Los Angeles come playoff time.

The game also showed a ray of hope for Laker fans. For the better part of 48 minutes, the Lakers played even with the only team considered good enough to challenge their right to a fourth consecutive Laker championship. Players other than Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal stepped up at times, making more than a few Sacramento fans nervous.

Needless to say, it was a very merry Christmas for every NBA fan. In several advertisements for the Christmas Day action, Shaquille O'Neal posed the question: "How big is your chimney?" With all that transpired, it's safe to say that NBA fans' chimneys were stretched a bit this year.

Just imagine if NBA fans were this good every year...

Jon Palmer is an aspiring sportswriter from Roseville, MN. You can see more of Jon's work by checking out the Timberwolves Fan Report, updated weekly at insidehoops.com. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Contact Jon at big_poppa_palmer@hotmail.com.