NBA All-Stars: you saw it coming

You could tell weeks before the formal announcement that most of the players announced as starters for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game were going to be in it. From the trends of the balloting, the league’s highest-scorers and traditional vote-getters were going to make it.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Houston Rockets center Yao Ming led all players in votes received in the NBA All-Star Balloting program. James, last year’s All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in Houston, earned 2,516,049 votes, the second-highest total in history behind Yao’s 2005 total of 2,558,278. Yao received 2,451,718 votes this year, the fourth-highest total ever, despite the fact that it was uncertain weeks ago if he was going to play at all.

Earlier this week, he formally announced that he would skip the mid-year classic so as not to aggravate an injury.

And as proof that speaking loudly and carrying a big stick gets you votes, Washington’s Gilbert Arenas edged New Jersey’s Vince Carter for an East starting guard spot in the fourth-closest voting ever. Arenas (1,454,166 votes) narrowly squeaked past the slumping Carter (1,451,156) by 3,010 votes. The closest races have been those between A. C. Green over Karl Malone (1,226 votes) in 1990, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar slipping past Ralph Sampson (1,817 votes) in 1984 and John Stockton vs Derek Harper (2,562 votes) in 1990. Arenas has been in the news quite a bit, aside from scoring career-highs this season, he also attacked his exclusion from Team USA by Duke head coach Mike Zrzyzewski and Portland’s Nate Mcmillan, threatening to score outrageous numbers of points given the chance to play against them.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade locked up the other East starting guard spot with 2,029,591 votes, while his teammate Shaquille O’Neal (1,622,446) was named to his 14th straight All-Star team. His achievement ties that of Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West (1961-1974) and Utah Jazz great Karl Malone (1988-2002) for most consecutive selections. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still holds the record for most total All-Star Game nods with 19.

The final piece of the East All-Star puzzle is Toronto’s Chris Bosh, who is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Bosh has started all Raptors’ games and logs 37 minutes a night.

In the West, Yao will be joined in the starting lineup by his Rockets teammate Tracy McGrady (1,942,796 votes). T-Mac will be be appearing in his seventh All-Star Game. San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (who, like McGrady, scored 37 points in the San Antonio-Houston game the other night), garnered 1,436,584 votes and has been selected to every All-Star team since he entered the NBA in 1997. Joining them will be Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett (1,616,575 votes), who won All-Star MVP honors in 2003. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who got 2,138,777 fan votes and was the youngest All-Star in NBA history in 1998, will make his ninth All-Star trip when he goes to Las Vegas.

Thanks to their win over New York and San Antonio’s loss to Houston the other night, Mike D’Antoni and his coaching staff will mentor the West All-Stars. The Suns have a 34-8 record and have already secured the best winning percentage among Western teams eligible, even though the deadline is still February 4. The coaching spot for the East is still up in the air.

In picking the reserves, head coaches must vote seven players: two guards, two forwards, a center and two players regardless of position. Coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their team. If a player selected is unable to play, then NBA commissioner David Stern will hand-pick a replacement.

One nagging question is if any team will have more than two All-Stars. Denver will most likely see Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Phoenix will likely have Steve Nash and either Shawn Marion (18.9 points, 9.8 rebounds) or Amare Stoudemire (18.7 points, 9.1 rebounds), depending on how tight the selection of forwards in the West is. New Jersey’s Vince Carter will probably make it, as will Jason Kidd, though the Nets have had a weak year. Miami already has Wade and O’Neal.

Whatever happens, expect fireworks and unforgettable highlights when tip-off comes.

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