National Basketball Association

Tis the season: Ranking the Heat's best Christmas Day performances

Published Dec. 25, 2014 11:00 a.m. ET

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The Miami Heat have played on Christmas Day 10 times in franchise history and sport an impressive 8-2 record.

With that success has come several big-time performances by Heat players to the delight of their fans. From memorable matchups such as Shaquille O'Neal vs. Kobe Bryant along with the team exacting revenge on the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011-12 season opener, Christmastime often means a Heat player has something special in store.

Here are the five greatest individual performances for the Heat on Christmas Day:

5. Dwyane Wade -- Heat vs. New York Knicks, 2009.

Back when it was Wade's team a year before the formation of the Big 3 era, he led his team with 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals to take down the hated New York Knicks.

Playing at Madison Square Garden, Wade would put on a show in the final six minutes of the game with 10 points to put New York away for good.

4. LeBron James -- Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 2010.

The first Christmas day game of the Big 3 era was one to remember for James, who put away the Lakers with a triple-double, his third with the Heat and the 31st of his career.

After a slow start to the season, Miami was rolling at the time of this game and the victory represented their 14th win in 15 games. Just as important as the offensive display however, James helped the Heat limit Kobe Bryant and the back-to-back defending champions to just 80 points.

Ultimately, James' stat line of 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals is what will be remembered.

3. Shaquille O'Neal -- Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 2004.

Perhaps O'Neal didn't put in one of his best games as a member of the Heat, but it was one of the more memorable ones in his first game against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers since being traded in the offseason.

The big man scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and tied the game with a late dunk but also was forced to go to the bench with six fouls -- a few of which directed at his ex-teammate Bryant -- in the closing moments of the game. Though Bryant scored 42, it wasn't enough in overtime as he missed a potentially game-winning 3-pointer.

2. LeBron James -- Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks, 2011.

Because the lockout shortened the NBA season that year, the Miami Heat had to wait a little longer for their rematch against the Dallas Mavericks several months after imploding in the 2011 NBA Finals.

James led the charge in the season opener with 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists alongside Dwyane Wade, who contributed 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Such was the dominance by James and the Heat -- fueled by their eagerness to set the tone for what would be their first championship season together -- that they led by 35 points midway through the third quarter.

Scoring on a variety of moves, James was an unstoppable force in transition, where he scored 10 of his 37 points. The Mavericks players had little choice but to foul him constantly, and he responded by making 15 free throws in the first game of yet another MVP season.

1. Dwyane Wade -- Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 2006.

Any game between the Heat and the Lakers at the time was always going to be billed as a Shaq vs. Kobe battle, but it was Dwyane Wade who stole the show that year.

The then 24-year-old put together the first game of his career in which he scored 40 points and had at least 10 assists. It was also the third time an NBA player had amassed such stats on Christmas and it was the third straight Heat victory on Christmas against the Lakers.

Wade reached 40 points by sinking 12 of 20 shots from the floor and 15 of 16 from the line. Not bad for the man they used to call Flash.

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.

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