No longer a one-man show or half of a dynamic duo, AI (17.9 ppg, 5.4 apg) is blending his considerable skills into an ensemble cast that's used to winning big.
"It's always an honor to be named an All-Star and it's a blessing to be in this league," said Iverson, twice the Game's MVP. "Being named an All-Star makes it that much more special. The fact that the fans have voted me onto the team makes this a great honor and it's truly appreciated."
The final results of fan balloting didnt exactly bring any major surprises.
Miamis Dwyane Wade (2,741,413) and Detroits Allen Iverson (1,804,649) will be in the Easts backcourt, alongside reigning All-Star MVP LeBron James of Cleveland (2,940,823) and Bostons Kevin Garnett (2,066,833), who beat New Jerseys Yi Jianlian for the starting nod by 253,004 votes.
The All-Star game is always so meaningful to me because of the fans, said James, whose 24.3-point scoring average is the highest in All-Star game history for players with four or more appearances.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (2,805,397) was the Wests top vote-getter, and will be joined at guard by New Orleans Chris Paul (2,134,798). At center, Yao (2,532,958) will start for the sixth time, along with forwards Tim Duncan of San Antonio (2,578,168) and Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix (1,460,429).
When I first heard I was leading in votes, I was shocked, to be honest with you, Howard said. I really didnt expect anything considering you have guys like Kobe, LeBron and Dwyane.
Howard entered Thursday averaging 20.2 points, 14.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks for the Magic, who took the leagues best overall record (33-8) into a home game against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.
But on the national stage, Howard still might be best-known for his exploits in last years All-Star dunk contest in New Orleans, with his cape sailing on one jam and capping his night by using teammate Jameer Nelson as a prop in another slam.
Thats his element there. Hes an entertainer. He loves it, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. I think sometimes people look at that kind of thing, where Dwights out there having a good time, and they doubt the seriousness of a guy. Thats not the case at all. Hes very serious about winning and very serious about being a great player.
Van Gundy likened Howards All-Star antics to what the NBA has come to see from another giant jokester—Shaquille ONeal.
Like Shaq, Dwight is a great person who loves to make other people smile and laugh, Van Gundy said. Thats what really makes him go. He likes to have a good time and he likes to help other people have a good time. Its his nature. Its his character.
That all being said, ONeal is reluctant to anoint Howard as the games, well, next Shaq.
Hes a good player, but everything hes done Ive invented, so Im not impressed, ONeal said. For me to get my eyes wide open about another big man, hell have to do something that I havent seen before or something that I havent invented. Everything that hes done, Ive invented it.
For Garnett, its his 12th All-Star selection—second-most among active players behind ONeals 14 trips. ONeal could see that total increase by one; he could easily be announced as a reserve when coaches balloting to fill out the seven remaining spots on each roster are announced next week.
Its like a good wave, man, Garnett said. If youve surfed the boogie board, you know you ride it til it dies out. And I love boogie boarding. Its all about that good wave and holding on and holding on for dear life. And once its over, you crash and you go out and try to find the next one.
Much like the East, the West voting was a bit predictable.
Stoudemires spot turned out to be the most vulnerable; he nipped San Antonios Bruce Bowen—who isnt even starting for the Spurs right now—in the starters balloting by 68,031 votes.
Plenty of late voting helped shape the West starting five.
The leagues next-to-last voting update, released on Jan. 22, showed Denvers Carmelo Anthony—whos currently sidelined with an injured right hand — ahead of Stoudemire by 10,431 votes, plus Houstons Tracy McGrady leading by a 157,063-vote margin over Paul.
Neither lead held up.
Paul wound up prevailing by nearly a half-million ballots, and Stoudemire took his appeals directly to voters.
Stoudemire launched an Internet campaign—www.vote4Amare.com—and Anthony said Thursday he probably would have given him the spot anyway.
Hes in Phoenix, Anthony, who finished fifth among West forwards behind the starters, Bowen and Houstons Ron Artest, told The Denver Post. Its his All-Star game.
In all, five players (Howard, James, Bryant, Wade and Duncan) all topped Yaos previous record vote mark.
Its always an unbelievable honor, because theres so many great players in this league and so many young guys coming in, when you get named a starter from the fans, Wade said.
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The NBA Today crew react to the second release of NBA All - Star fan votes.☑️ Subscribe to ESPN+: https://plus.espn.com/ Get the ESPN App: ... ... <看更多>