NBA All-Star Game 2015 Starters: Stephen Curry Beats LeBron James in Voting, Marc Gasol Talks Making History With Brother Pau
On Thursday night, the National Basketball Association revealed the Western and Eastern Conference starters for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors leads the Western Conference All-Star starters. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans were also voted as starters.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James leads the Eastern Conference All-Stars and will start alongside John Wall of the Washington Wizards, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls.
Curry, who is averaging 23.2 points to go along with 8.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game this season, was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game, edging James, last season's top vote-getter, by more than 42,000 votes.
"This means a lot," Curry said of getting the most number of fan votes. "It's something that I don't take for granted. To have support of fans not only in the Bay Area but across the nation and across the world, supporting not only myself but our team, it means a lot. I want to represent the Warriors the best way I know how, every single game, and will do that proudly in New York thanks to the fans and their votes."
Lowry made a huge jump in the final balloting. The Toronto Raptors point guard leapfrogged Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade in the final round of balloting, earning the right to start alongside Wall.
Pau and Marc Gasol also made history as they became the first brothers to start in an All-Star Game.
"Knowing that I will be facing my brother Pau for the opening tip, it will be a true accomplishment for our family and a memory I will cherish for the rest of my career," Marc Gasol said in a statement.
The Western Conference All-Stars could change, though, after the Los Angeles Lakers announced on Thursday that Kobe Bryant sustained a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, which could require a season-ending injury.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden, who is averaging 27.2 points to go along with 6.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game this season, is tipped to replace Bryant in the starting lineup if the Lakers superstar fails to play.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who is averaging 21.9 points for Golden State this season, is also expected to be considered as a possible replacement to Bryant.
Thompson's coach Steve Kerr will handle the Western Conference All-Star team and will collide against Eastern Conference All-Star team coach Mike Budenholzer, who has led the Atlanta Hawks to a conference-best 35-8 record.
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