2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Recap

In a game largely devoid of defense, the top scorers thrive. And Kevin Durant is one of the best in recent memory. Oklahoma City's superstar wing scored 36 points on 14-25 shooting and added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals while leading the West to a 152-149 victory and taking Most Valuable Player honors.

Kobe Bryant added 27 points, and moved past Michael Jordan into first place on the all-time All-Star game scoring list in the process.

Blake Griffin became just the third player in all-star game history to post a triple-double, with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. But his best play may have been his steal of a LeBron James pass with seconds remaining, to help ice the game for the West.

James led the Eastern Conference stars with 36 points, and was white-hot (6-8) from three-point range.

All-Star Injuries

Bryant suffered a broken nose, courtesy of a hard foul by Dwyane Wade. Luol Deng played just six minutes; he left the game after falling on his injured left wrist and did not return.

Bryant's Laker teammate and fellow starter Andrew Bynum also saw only limited action; Bynum received an injection in his oft-injured knee earlier this week.

All-Star Scoring Records

Bryant's 27 points give him 271 in all-star play, most of any player in NBA history. Michael Jordan is now second with 262.

Bryant also passed Kareem Abdul Jabbar (251) and Oscar Robertson (246) on the all-time list during the game.

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All-Star Weekend Recap

Kyrie Irving couldn't miss. Paul George glowed in the dark, but that wasn't enough to get the fan vote. Love beat Durant in a three-point duel between Kevins, Tony Parker showed skills, and Allan Houston sparked talk of a comeback.

Again.

Oh, and LeBron James led a fourth-quarter comeback... then botched it.

These stories and more in our All-Star Weekend Recap:

• BBVA Rising Stars Challenge
• Foot Locker Three-Point Contest
• Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
• Taco Bell Skills Competition
• Haier Shooting Stars Challenge
• 2012 NBA All-Star Game

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All-Star Starters Announced

The starting lineups for the 2012 NBA All-Star game were announced last night on TNT, and for the first time in years, I have no complaints about the fans' selections.

Dwight Howard was the top overall vote-getter. He'll center an Eastern Conference squad that also features LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, reigning MVP Derrick Rose of the Bulls and the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony. All are highly deserving, though you could make the case that Wade and Anthony - who have missed significant time due to injuries - could be replaced by Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh.

In the West, Kobe Bryant was named to his 14th consecutive all-star team - tying a record held by his old pal Shaq, among others. His Laker teammate Andrew Bynum and Los Angeles neighbors Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were also selected by the fans, with Kevin Durant completing the West's starting lineup.

The last time two pairs of teammates were selected to start the All-Star Game was in 1997, when Seattle's Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton joined Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley in the West lineup.

All star reserves will be selected by a vote of the coaches in each conference and announced on Thursday, February 9. The game will be played in Orlando on February 26th.

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2012 All-Star Voting

Like so many other aspects of the 2011-12 NBA Season, the All-Star voting process will be compressed into a much shorter window. Voting began on January 4 and will conclude on the 31st. The All-Star Game will be played in Orlando on February 26th.

Eastern Conference All-Star Picks

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Picking all-stars to represent the East is easy - assuming Dwight Howard stays put for the next month.

Western Conference All-Star Picks

Getty Images / Noel Vasquez

Picking a backcourt for the West is trickier... Chris Paul is a gimme. But should Russell Westbrook get the other starting spot, or is Kobe Bryant still the man?

NBA.com - Official All-Star Ballot

Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

Cast your vote online, via text message or in any NBA arena, and you could win a trip to All-Star Weekend in Orlando.

Vote Update: 1/12/12

Orlando's Dwight Howard has a commanding lead in the first tally of votes. Named on 754,737 ballots thus far, Howard leads all players, and has more than ten times as many as the second-place Eastern Conference center. The only real surprise? Ricky Rubio's strong showing. Though he has little chance of catching Kobe Bryant or Chris Paul and winning a spot in the Western Conference backcourt, Minnesota's rookie point guard is third overall among West guards, ahead of the likes of Steve Nash and Russell Westbrook.

All-Star Weekend Info

This year's all-star game will be held at the new Amway Center in Orlando Florida, home of the Magic.

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Dwight Howard Leads All-Star Voting

Orlando's Dwight Howard is one of the most obvious choices on the 2012 NBA All-Star Ballot. But don't take my word for it, look at the initial vote totals. Howard leads all players with 754,737 votes - and has more than 10 times as many as his nearest Eastern Conference center competitor, Chicago's Joakim Noah (75,038).

If the voting ended today, Howard would be joined by forwards LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and guards Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade on the Eastern Conference All-Stars. The west would be represented by the Lakers' Andrew Bynum at center, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin at the forwards with Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul in the backcourt.

I have no strong argument against any of the leaders - I picked nine of ten in my Eastern and Western Conference ballots, after all. The tenth is Griffin; a fine choice, but my vote went to Dirk Nowitzki.

But there is one eyebrow-raising trend. At this point, Minnesota rookie guard Ricky Rubio is in third place among Western Conference guards, ahead of established players like Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash and Manu Ginobili. That's a very impressive showing thus far, though he stands very little chance of catching Bryant or Paul.

Voting continues through January 31st. The teams will be announced on February 2nd, and the game will be played in Orlando on February 26th.

Official Vote Totals (via NBA.com, position leaders in bold)

East:

Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 640,789; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 496,351; Amar'e Stoudemire (NYK) 178,797; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 173,161; Chris Bosh (Mia) 140,601; Paul Pierce (Bos) 94,071; Luol Deng (Chi) 85,086; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 54,739; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 53,477; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 43,154.
Guards: Derrick Rose (Chi) 640,476; Dwyane Wade (Mia) 637,912; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 253,969; Ray Allen (Bos) 174,934; Deron Williams (NJN) 89,128; Jose Calderon (Tor) 42,929; John Wall (Was) 38,025; Richard Hamilton (Chi) 36,418; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 27,713; Joe Johnson (Atl) 23,384.
Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 754,737; Joakim Noah (Chi) 75,038; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 61,774; Joel Anthony (Mia) 41,832; JaVale McGee (Was) 24,713; Al Horford (Atl) 23,546.

West:

Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC) 633,538; Blake Griffin (LAC) 394,264; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 231,832; Pau Gasol (LAL) 185,428; Kevin Love (Min) 143,814; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 118,268; Tim Duncan (SA) 81,783; Lamar Odom (Dal) 59,686; Metta World Peace (LAL) 39,006; Danilo Gallinari (Den) 34,438.
Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 690,613; Chris Paul (LAC) 540,173; Ricky Rubio (Min) 133,520; Steve Nash (Pho) 118,922; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 107,197; Kyle Lowry (Hou) 90,725; Monta Ellis (GS) 63,696; Manu Ginobili (SA) 50,765; Jason Kidd (Dal) 49,596; Chauncey Billups (LAC) 42,657.
Centers: Andrew Bynum (LAL) 496,597; DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 134,961; Marc Gasol (Mem) 102,116; Nen? (Den) 94,167; Marcin Gortat (Pho) 62,631; Kendrick Perkins (OKC) 41,579.

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2012 NBA All-Star Game

Jan 4 2012

The Orlando Magic play host to the NBA's biggest stars this February, when NBA All-Star Weekend returns to the returns to central Florida.

This will be the 61st All-Star Game; the second in Orlando, but the first in the Amway Center, which opened in 2010.

The first all-star game played in Orlando - the 1992 game - was also one of the most memorable, as it featured Magic Johnson's return to the court after his announcement that he was HIV-positive. Johnson unforgettably challenged Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan to defend him in the closing minutes of that game, scored on both future hall-of-famers, and won all-star MVP honors.

The game and all other all-star events will be televised on TNT.

Schedule of Events

• February 24th: NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge
• February 25th: All-Star Saturday: Three-point Shootout, Dunk contest, skills challenge, etc.
• February 26th: 2011 NBA All-Star Game

Rosters

The starters for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams will be selected via fan vote. Voting began on January 4 and continues through the 31st, with teams to be announced on February 2nd.

Reserves are selected by a vote of the coaches in each conference. Coaches are asked to vote for two forwards, two guards and a center - but are not held to the same strict positional classifications as in the fan voting - and are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Coaches

The Eastern and Western Conference all-star teams will be led by the coaches with the best records in their respective conferences as of February 12 - two weeks before the game. Last year's coaches - Boston's Doc Rivers and San Antonio's Gregg Popovic - are ineligible; league rules prohibit a coach from running the all-star team in consecutive seasons.

Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks seem likely candidates to coach the 2012 teams.

Injuries

If a player is injured an unable to participate, the league will names replacement. If a starter misses the game, the all-star coach selects another starter from among the reserves. For example - in 2011, Yao Ming was voted the Western Conference's starting center, despite the fact that he had already sustained a season (and career) ending injury. The league named Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love as Yao's replacement on the roster, but West coach Popovic gave his own player - Tim Duncan - the starting nod.

Tickets

Ticket packages are available via NBAevents.com - but beware sticker-shock. Courtside seats are expected to go for $6500.

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2012 All-Star Voting

Like so many other aspects of the 2011-12 NBA Season, the All-Star voting process will be compressed into a much shorter window. Voting began on January 4 and will conclude on the 31st. The All-Star Game will be played in Orlando on February 26th.

Eastern Conference All-Star Picks

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Picking all-stars to represent the East is easy - assuming Dwight Howard stays put for the next month.

Western Conference All-Star Picks

Getty Images / Noel Vasquez

Picking a backcourt for the West is trickier... Chris Paul is a gimme. But should Russell Westbrook get the other starting spot, or is Kobe Bryant still the man?

NBA.com - Official All-Star Ballot

Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

Cast your vote online, via text message or in any NBA arena, and you could win a trip to All-Star Weekend in Orlando.

All-Star Weekend Info

This year's all-star game will be held at the new Amway Center in Orlando Florida, home of the Magic.

View the original article here

All-Star Picks - West

Voting for the 2012 NBA All-Star teams began on January 4, 2012. Here are my picks for the Western Conference starters.

Center - Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers

Once again, this is the toughest decision on the ballot... due to a general lack of deserving candidates. Last year, I voted for Portland's Marcus Camby over a weak field, as a sort of "Lifetime Achievement Award." This year, I'll (grudgingly) select Andrew Bynum... at least he's a fine player - when he isn't hurt and/or suspended.

Of course, the ballot-makers could have made this a lot easier by listing Pau Gasol or Tim Duncan or LaMarcus Aldridge as a center...

At least we don't have to worry about Yao Ming winning this spot again. Yao was selected as the West's starting center last season - despite the fact that he had played in only five games, and none the year before that. Yao formally retired over the summer, which will probably cut his overall vote total considerably.

Actually, Yao might be a better choice than most of these guys. Maybe I'll write him in.

Forward - Dirk Nowitzki

Getty Images - Mike Ehrmann

The Western Conference forward ballot probably has the deepest pool of deserving candidates. Kevin Durant is a gimme... but who else? You could make a very strong case for Pau Gasol, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Zach Randolph or LaMarcus Aldridge... but after last season's run to the championship, I'm inclined to honor Mr. Nowitzki in this spot.

Forward - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Durant is the only player not named "LeBron" with a legit claim to the "Best Player in the World" honorific. And he won't reach his 24th birthday until late September.

Shooting Guard - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Honestly, I'm torn here. Selecting Kobe as a Western Conference guard is like checking Derek Jeter's name for American League All-Star shortstop... it's habit. It's comforting. But I'm wondering if it's still the right decision. I'm torn between Kobe - who will almost certainly win regardless of what I do - and Russell Westbrook. I'll stick with Kobe for one more year... he's already been dumped once this season.

Guard: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The only thing that would have taken Paul off my Western Conference ballot? A trade to the East.

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All-Star Picks - East

Voting for the 2012 NBA All-Star teams began on January 4, 2012. Here are my picks for the Eastern Conference starters.

Generally speaking, I try to select an all-star team that fairly reflects a standard NBA lineup; though the league insists - for reasons I've never understood - on lumping all "guards" and "forwards" together in two groups, I prefer to select a point guard and a shooting guard, and a small forward and a power forward. I'll make exceptions on occasion... and this year's Eastern Conference roster is one such occasion.

Voting continues until January 31st. Teams will be announced on February 2nd.

Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Eastern Conference is much deeper at the center spot than the West, with Atlanta's Al Horford, New York's Tyson Chandler and Chicago's Joakim Noah all deserving of mention. But this spot belongs to Dwight Howard unless (until) he gets traded to a Western Conference club.

Forward - Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

Rebecca Taylor/MSG Photos

Ordinarily, I prefer to pick a true power forward and a true small forward on my all-star ballot, but this year I'm making an exception because 'Melo is putting up some eye-popping numbes for Mike D'Antoni's Knicks. If you'd rather Amar'e Stoudemire in this slot, I won't object.

Forward - LeBron James, Miami Heat

Getty Images Sport - Mike Ehrmann/Staff

Who else? Joke all you want about James' late game troubles in the playoffs... that doesn't change the fact that he's the best all-around player in the game today.

Guard - Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Doug Benc/Getty Images

Another absolute no-brainer, especially now that Wade and his buddy LeBron seem to be working out the whole "who is the real top dog in Miami" thing.

Guard: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

Elsa/Getty Images

I gave Boston's Rajon Rondo the (slight) edge at this spot last season, but his play tailed off in the second half while Rose led the Bulls to the league's best record and was named league MVP.

New Jersey's Deron Williams also deserves consideration here... at this point, I'd put Williams behind Rose, ahead of Rondo.

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NBA All-Star Game: Polls Open

Voting for the 2012 NBA All-Star teams opened today at NBA.com and in arenas all over North America.

Like so many other aspects of this NBA season, the process is going to be compressed, significantly. Ordinarily, voting opens about two weeks into the season - mid-November - and runs until late January. This year, the polls will be open for just 27 days, from January 4 until the 31st.

I've already made my picks for the Eastern and Western Conference squads. Picking the East was a breeze, but there are some very tough decisions to be made on the West ballot.

The game itself - and all the other all-star festivities - will be held at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic, from February 24-26.

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