The 2013 NBA All-Star starters were announced just after 7 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, and in the both the Eastern and Western conferences, there were no surprises.
In the east, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Garnett were the frontcourt players voted in by the fans, and Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo were selected to start at the two guard positions.
Out West, Kobe Bryant edged LeBron James as the leading vote-getter overall, and will start in the backcourt alongside Chris Paul. Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Dwight Howard round out the frontcourt selections.
That’s four players who play in Los Angeles representing the West starters, in case you didn’t notice.
All 10 starters were the same who held the lead for these spots when the most recent voting returns came in, and only Garnett’s spot was truly in jeopardy. But Chris Bosh was apparently unable to make a last-minute push strong enough to overtake the veteran Celtic.
In the West, there was an outside chance that Jeremy Lin might have overtaken Chris Paul, but it was a longshot at best, especially given the fact that Lin himself has said that he doesn’t deserve a spot on the team this season.
There will likely be some actual surprises when the reserves, who are selected by a vote from the league’s coaches, are announced in the weeks that follow.
The All-Star game will be played Sunday, Feb. 17 in Houston, Texas.
