By Rockin’ Reese
Tonight, the best of the best will be step onto the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The beasts of the east will take on the best of the west in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. When all is said & done, one conference will have bragging rights for the remainder of the regular season. Let’s take a look at each team.
The starting lineup for the western conference all-stars is (Los Angeles Lakers forward) LeBron James (who is the team captain), (Denver Nuggets center) Nikola Jokić, (Phoenix Suns forward) Kevin Durant, (Dallas Mavericks guard) Luka Dončić, & (Oklahoma City Thunder guard) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The reserves for the western conference are (Lakers center/forward) Anthony Davis, (Golden State Warriors guard) Stephen Curry, (Los Angeles Clippers forward) Kawhi Leonard, (Clippers forward/guard) Paul George, (Suns guard) Devin Booker. (Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center) Karl-Anthony Towns, & (Timberwolves guard) Anthony Edwards.
By being selected as an all-star, James made history. He is the 1st NBA player to have been an all-star 20 times. With the exception of his rookie season (2003-04), he has been an all-star in every season of his career. He could make more history, tonight. If James won the MVP, he would join Bob Pettit & Kobe Bryant as the only 4-time winners of the award.
The western all-stars have a major experience advantage over the east. They have at least 3 players with a minimum of 10 all-star selections. Besides James, Durant has 14 & Curry just earned his 10th. Both have also won MVPs. Durant won in 2012 & 2019. Curry won in 2022. Just outside of the 10-year mark are Davis & George, with 9 each.
The man to keep an eye on in the west is Jokić. He has won the NBA MVP in 2020-21 & 2021-22. He was the NBA Finals MVP, last season. There is only one MVP award he has yet to win. This is his 7th all-star appearance. For the only representative from the defending NBA Champions, 7 could be a lucky number.
The starting lineup for the eastern conference all-stars is (Milwaukee Bucks forward) Giannis Antetokounmpo (who is the team captain), (Boston Celtics forward) Jayson Tatum, (Miami Heat center) Bam Adebayo, (Bucks guard) Damian Lillard, & (Indiana Pacers guard) Tyrese Haliburton.
The reserves for the eastern conference are (Celtics guard/forward) Jaylen Brown, (Orlando Magic forward) Paolo Banchero, (Cleveland Cavaliers guard) Donovan Mitchell, (Philadelphia 76ers guard) Tyrese Maxey, (New York Knicks guard) Jalen Brunson, (Atlanta Hawks guard) Trae Young, & (Toronto Raptors guard/forward) Scottie Barnes.
It should be noted that (76ers center) Joel Embiid was supposed to start, but he’s unable to play, because of injury. Adebayo (who was a reserve) is starting in his place. Also, (Knicks forward/center) Julius Randle was injured. That allowed Young & Barnes to be part of the eastern all-stars.
The eastern all-stars have an interesting mix. They have 4 players who are all-stars for the 1st time (Banchero [the 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year], Barnes, Brunson, & Maxey). However, they also have the reigning All-Star MVP in Tatum, which should counteract the inexperiemce. The most all-star appearances among this year’s eastern conference are from Antetokuonmpo & Lillard with 8 each.
The man to keep an eye on is Haliburton. The 2nd time all-star is the only representative from the home team Pacers. If he’s on his game, he will put on a show in his house. There have been a few players who won All-Star MVP in their arena. Haliburton could add his name to the list.
Indianapolis has had a great weekend of action. Tonight, it culminates with the All-Star Game. Who will be the winners? Who will be the MVP? Find out, tonight at 8:00 ET (7:00 cCT, 6:00 MT, 5:00 PT) on TNT & TBS.
