NBA

Here Are The NBA All-Star Game Starting Lineups

As with any all-star game in which the players get voted in by fans, you’ll have a share of WTF selections. Well, the NBA All-Star Game starting lineups have been picked, so you can be the judge. Remember, new for this year, voters did not have to pick players at particular positions, but rather three frontcourt players and two backcourt players.

Onto the selections, votes in parentheses:

Eastern Conference

LeBron James, MIA (1,583,646)

Carmelo Anthony, NYK (1,460,950)

Dwyane Wade, MIA (1,052,310)

Rajon Rondo, BOS (924,180)

Kevin Garnett, BOS (553,222)

Western Conference

Kobe Bryant, LAL (1,591,437)

Kevin Durant, OKC (1,504,047)

Chris Paul, LAC (929,155)

Dwight Howard, LAL (922,070)

Blake Griffin, LAC (863,832)

Before we get into any real analysis, let’s take this time to acknowledge Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett will be playing on the team. That should be fun. Let’s move on.

The West, for the second year in a row, includes four players from Los Angeles, which should come as no surprise considering how much they care about their basketball in the City of Angels — yes, even the Clippers. The only swap is Dwight Howard for Andrew Bynum. Kobe Bryant is starting in his 15th consecutive all-star game, breaking a tie with Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and Karl Malone for the most starting nods in a row.

Back East, two Heat, two Celtics and one Knick sounds about right. It’s easy to argue statistically with one or two of those choices, but fans will do what fans will do, and it’s just hard to outman Miami, Boston and New York.

The All-Star Game will be held on Feb. 17 in Houston, where hometown favorite James Harden, though he didn’t earn a spot on the starting squad (perhaps unjustly in the eyes of some), will almost certainly make an appearance.

[ESPN, Getty Images]

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