After two months of NBA Basketball, the full All-Star game rosters have been announced. Last week the starters for each conference were announced, with LeBron James being named the captain of the west and Kevin Durant being named the captain of the east. The All-Star game will be different than years past, but nonetheless, it should be an entertaining game.
The Boston Celtics have been struggling recently, losing five of their last seven games. Despite this fact, for the sixth year in a row, the Boston Celtics will have at least one player in the All-Star game. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who many call the best young duo in the league, were awarded spots on the All-Star team.
Brown is making his first ever All-Star game with averages of 25.7 points and 5.6 rebounds a game, while Tatum makes his second appearance with averages of 26.1 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. Brown and Tatum both look to gain momentum through the All-Star game to push the Celtics back to their winning ways.
The Western Conference stars LeBron James as its captain. The starting lineup features Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in the backcourt. The frontcourt consists of Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers. No players are in their first game, but James and Jokic are in the top three for the MVP ladder.
The Eastern Conference features Kevin Durant as its captain. The backcourt stars Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. The frontcourt features MVP candidates Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Like the West, no players in the Easts starting lineup are in their first game, but Durant and Embiid are in the top five for the MVP ladder.
The Western Conference is loaded with talent as it always. Players that are returning to the game in the backcourt feature Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers, Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns, and Donavan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz. The frontcourt features Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers. As for first time all stars, Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans is the only player from the West who is making his first All Star game.
The Eastern Conference is just as stacked as the West. Returning players of the backcourt feature Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets while the Frontcourt features Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic. First time All Stars feature Zach Lavine of the Chicago Bulls, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics and Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.
As always with NBA All Star games, there are players that are left out. Many fans have already pointed to players such as Devin Booker and Domantas Sabonis as players that were snubbed. Regardless of who is playing, the All-Star game still looks to be as exciting as always. The annual game will take place in Atlanta on March 7th, instead of the original location of Indianapolis.
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