Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks in the second half of the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. West won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Eric Gay/AP-Pool Photo USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant became the first player in NBA All-Star history to score 30 or more points in three consecutive All-Star Games Sunday night as the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 143-138 in Houston, Texas.

Durant scored 30 points on 13-of-24 shooting in the win. He also added six rebounds as he played a game-high 31 minutes.

Chris Paul was named the MVP of the game for his 20-point, 15-assist, 4-steal effort. Paul shot 7-of-10 from the field and made 4-of-5 threes.

This game is always dominated by point guards and Paul was the best one last night. We knew he would get the assists but scoring 20 as well made him a no-brainer for the MVP.

LeBron James 19 points and five assists and shot 7-for-18 from the field which is ironic considering his gaudy shooting numbers coming into this game.

Kobe Bryant started checking LeBron late in the fourth quarter and actually blocked his shot twice, once from behind when LeBron went for a pull-up jumper and then on a drive Kobe would swat a LeBron layup attempt out of bounds.

This was the first time since the trade that Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden played together on the same team. They played together for a few minutes in the first half and displayed some of the chemistry they had back when they were teammates most notably when Harden found Westbrook for an alley-oop.

Westbrook had 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Harden – in front of his new home crowd – had 15 points, six boards and three assists.

The Eastern Conference amazingly shot under 50 percent for the game.

The teams will be off today as well then the regular season will start again on Tuesday. The Thunder will play next in Houston Wednesday night.

The trade deadline is coming up Thursday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. EST.

http://instagram.com/p/V2QaLyiiGR/

One of the most memorable storylines in the 2012 NBA Playoffs was the outfits of Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook was seemingly wearing a crazier shirt in postgame interviews the deeper and deeper the Thunder went into the playoffs.

Now for the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend, Westbrook is taking his game to a new level.

This outfit is just ridiculous. There’s a lot of Pee-wee Herman going on here, maybe some Pinocchio and then some other weird stuff.

I don’t care how cool you are, this is pretty much impossible to pull off. There is no reason to go this far and ever look like this, especially if you are an NBA player. Westbrook is an interesting dude though.

Westbrook will come off the bench for the Western Conference tonight as the All-Star Game will tip-off at 8 p.m. EST. Who knows what he’ll be wearing after the game.

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers react during practice for the 2013 NBA All-Star game at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The 62nd NBA All-Star Game will take place tonight in Houston, Texas at 8 p.m. EST.

Just about all of the stars will be out with the Western Conference being led by Kevin Durant and the Eastern Conference LeBron James.

The Western Conference won the game last year 152-49 and Durant was named MVP after scoring 36 points to lead his team.

Who is going to win this year? Can the West take down the East again?

The biggest change this year is Dwight Howard switching over to the Western Conference. This may not be a good thing for the West though because Howard is known for not trying very hard in these games and becoming more of a hindrance than anything else.

Rajon Rondo was voted to start at point guard for the Eastern Conference but will obviously not anymore. Chris Bosh is replacing Rondo in the starting lineup which means LeBron will essentially start at point guard.

LeBron is having one of the best seasons of his career and currently in a stretch of games where he is playing better than ever. He will obviously start the game trying to get others involved. Don’t be surprised if we see LeBron with five-plus assists after the first quarter.

This game is always dominated by point guards and the West have the best in the league in Chris Paul. Paul might not take a single shot tonight but he will be as good as anyone at getting players open shots for highlights and three-pointers.

Durant is the favorite to take home the MVP tonight because he is just so unstoppable in an All-Star Game atmosphere. With the defense lightening up as much as it will, Durant can’t help but take advantage and torch it. He became the first player ever to score 30 points or more in consecutive All-Star Games and don’t be surprised if he does so again tonight.

The West has an advantage with their bench players. The East had more make it because of great defense while the West has more scoring off their pine.

James Harden in particular will look to have a huge game. He is playing in what is now his home city of Houston and will be very aggressive trying to score a lot without a doubt.

The All-Star Game is often a time for the game’s best player to prove that he is just that on the biggest stage. That guy is LeBron right now and it is just about guaranteed that he will have a monster night.

The Western Conference is just so much deeper though and they have Durant and better point guards. LeBron won’t be able to overcome them on his own so expect the West to come away with the victory in this one.

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during practice for the 2013 NBA All-Star game at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The 62nd NBA All-Star Game will take place tonight at 8 p.m. EST in Houston, Texas.

The Western Conference won the game last year 152-149 and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant was named the MVP with 36 points.

Durant will come into this year’s game as the favorite to win the MVP award again. LeBron James is a close second but when it comes to winning MVPs in All-Star Games, Durant is the best.

Durant has the all-time highest scoring average in All-Star Game history at 28.3 points per game. He also became the first player to score 30 or more points in consecutive All-Star Games last year.

Durant even has the all-time scoring record in the Rookie-Sophomore Game with 46 points back in 2009.

Durant, who has led the league in scoring three straight seasons and doing it again this year, will likely light it up again tonight. Durant only knows one speed when he is on a basketball court. While most players tone it down a little in games like this, Durant’s version of that is still one that fills it up in a heartbeat.

The only way you are winning the All-Star Game MVP is if your team wins the game. The one man that may stand in the way of Durant winning this is his teammate: Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard.

Howard is the complete opposite of Durant in these games. He doesn’t take them seriously at all and will be more interested in shooting threes and handling the ball on the perimeter than winning. There’s nothing wrong with having fun during this game but when doing so keeps you from competing and giving the fans a good product on the floor, it’s a huge problem.

A big reason why the West got out to a big lead on the East last year was Howard. Howard had nine points in the game and went 0-for-4 from three-point range.

The West will have to try and overcome a silly Howard to come out on top tonight and give Durant a chance to win the MVP again.

There’s a good chance the MVP and the outcome of the game will come down to a showdown between Durant and LeBron. They will be guarding each other from the start in this one and should be down the stretch as well if the game is close.

LeBron also scored 36 points last year in a loss and is the second all-time points per game leader in All-Star history at 25.9. He’s been on another level this season and especially lately when it comes to shooting. If he can carry that momentum into tonight where there is less defense than ever then he could really challenge Durant for the MVP.

We could also see a more passive Durant in this game. He’s been more of a passer this season trying to emulate LeBron to a degree. If he lets up even a little and plays that role tonight, it could cost him the MVP.

Coverage of the game will begin at 7 p.m. EST on TNT. The game will tip-off shortly after 8 p.m. EST.

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; From left, New Orleans Hornets forward Anthony Davis, and Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Western Conference forward Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Western Conference guard James Harden of the Houston Rockets watch the 2013 NBA All-Star three-point contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

One of the coolest things about this year’s NBA All-Star Game is that it will be the first time that Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden play together on the same team since the trade that sent Harden packing at the start of the season.

For Oklahoma City Thunder fans, this will be something to reminisce on.

Durant, Westbrook and Harden made up one of the best trios in the NBA last season. They weren’t only great playing together on the court but off it they were best friends.

The trio still refers to themselves as brothers and they could be seen sitting together enjoying the All-Star Saturday Night festivities last night.

It’s kind of hard to watch and it will be a little weird tonight too. Western Conference head coach Gregg Popovich will undoubtedly find minutes for the three to play together tonight. If they strike up the same chemistry together they had back in OKC, it will be a little tough for Thunder fans to watch.

It was easy to get over the trade relatively quickly this season as the Thunder had so much success and Harden the same in Houston. It felt like the Thunder may have really made the right move and Kevin Martin was doing an admirable job replacing Harden’s production.

But when the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat again last Thursday night, regretting the Harden trade and wondering about what it would have been like if they would have kept him were thoughts in every Thunder fan’s mind.

This year the Miami Heat will have three players starting in the All-Star Game. The Thunder could have been the next team to be able to do that had they kept Harden.

Kobe Bryant is saying he will probably only play a few more seasons and Harden is next in line behind him to start in these games. Chris Paul is starting to drop off a little bit too which would open the window for Westbrook to become a starter.

It wasn’t easy for anyone in the Thunder organization to make this trade. Harden’s potential was through the roof and it’s already looking like he plans on reaching that potential.

Instead of finding out what this trio of All-Stars could have accomplished, we will now only be reminded of it once every year when they play side by side again in All-Star Games.

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross dunks after leaping over a youngster during the 2013 NBA all star slam dunk contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross won the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest beating out the defending champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz in the final round.

Ross got a fortunate first dunk score of 50 after needing five attempts to finish his slam. After that first dunk he was solid the rest of the way capping off the competition with a between-the-legs dunk over a small boy.

Evans relied on props as expected and was impressive to a degree but not enough to overcome Ross, who took home 58 percent of the fans’ votes.

The favorites, James White and Gerald Green, dimmed in the bright lights of All-Star Weekend. They both struggled to eve finish dunks while not even seeming to attempt the most difficult.

White first took off from the free throw line with two hands and received only a score of 45. His second dunk was planned to be one from the right wing where he switched hands with the ball but he was unable to complete it.

Green, who won the competition in 2007, tried dunking a ball twice in one leap after cutting off the net but could not do so after many tries.

This contest clearly need the game’s best players to compete. Whether it be LeBron James who could easily win it or even someone like Kevin Durant who could at least draw more attention to the event.

White and Green had a chance to put this event back on the map but they failed to do so. Ross was solid but that’s about it.

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference center Dwight Howard (12) of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with guard Russell Westbrook (0) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and forward Blake Griffin (32) of the Los Angeles Clippers talk during practice for the 2013 NBA all star game at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Team Westbrook looked like they were going to win the 2013 Sears Shooting Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend Saturday night.

They had the best overall time in the first round then only had to beat a time of 1:29 to win the whole thing in the final round. They would miss over 10 shots from half court as Russell Westbrook, Maya Moore and Robert Horry were unable to come up clutch in Clutch City.

Team Bosh ended up victorious despite a performance that left a lot to be desired.

NBA legend Dominique Wilkins had an awful hard time hitting a straight-away jumper from the top of the key but he would come up big making both half court shots for his team in the competition.

The two best times in the first round came from the Western Conference. Team Harden posted a very formidable time but it was not enough to beat Team Westbrook.

This was the first event of NBA All-Star Saturday in Houston, Texas. There is a new format this year pitting the Eastern Conference vs. the Western Conference for the night. The conference that wins the most of the competitions will win the most money for charity.

The next competition coming up is the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. Tony Parker, Damian Lillard and Jeremy Lin will represent the West. Jrue Holiday, Brandon Knight and Jeff Teague will play for the East.

Feb 5, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

NBA All-Star Saturday Night is here and soon we will be crowning this year’s slam dunk and three-point contest winners.

The festivities will begin to get covered at 8 p.m. EST on TNT. It will feature the Shooting Stars Challenge, Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and then finally the Slam Dunk Contest.

Expect the Dunk Contest to start around 9:30-10:00 p.m. EST.

Who is going to take home the hardware tonight? Will the Slam Dunk Contest finally return to its glory?

There is a new format this year where in both contests three players from each conference will face off. The highest scores from the East and West will then meet in the final round to determine a winner.

3-Point Contest

Let’s start with the 3-Point Contest. For the West we will have Stephen Curry, Matt Bonner and Ryan Anderson. The East is represented by Steve Novak, Kyrie Irving and Paul George.

In terms of getting shots up in a lifetime, no one can match Curry. His dad, Del, was one of the best shooters ever in the NBA and he taught his son well. It’s hard to pick against Steph who has the perfect form, a quick release and the ability to get hot more than anyone in this conference.

His stiffest competition might come from the same conference in the form of the Red Rocket, Matt Bonner. Bonner is as machine-like as any shooter in this competition. Hard work is the only reason he has made it in this league and that starts with his robot-like, three-point making ability.

Novak has to be the favorite coming from the East. There is no other player in the NBA that is more of a specialist than Novak is. Irving may be able to make some noise too but his prowess usually comes in game.

Slam Dunk Contest

The Dunk Contest contestants will be James White, Gerald Green and Terrence Ross from the East and Jeremy Evans, Eric Bledsoe and Kenneth Faried from the West.

White and Green will meet in what has to be the most anticipated Dunk Contest in a long time. They are two of the great dunkers of all-time, especially in contests and were made to do just one thing: be creative in the air and finish dunks.

They are the two overwhelming favorites despite the defending champ, Evans, competing for the West. Evans’ win last year was not thought of very highly by most so expect Bledsoe or Faried to have a good chance of coming out of the West.

The real shame here is that White and Green won’t be able to end up in a dunking showdown in the final round. We might have to settle for fireworks early in this competition.

Final Predictions

3-Point Contest: Stephen Curry

Slam Dunk Contest: James White

June 4, 2012; Westwego, LA, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Jeremy Lamb talks with the media following a pre-draft workout with the New Orleans Hornets at the Alario Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Jeremy Lamb was set to play in the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game but now that won’t happen.

Lamb was recalled by the Thunder and is therefore ineligible for the game now because you have to be an active member on a D-League roster to participate in the game.

Lamb has been playing a lot for the Thunder D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers this season. Lamb is averaging 21.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the 66ers in 14 games this year.

Lamb has only played in 16 games for the Thunder this season. He’s averaging 4.0 minutes and 1.7 points per in those games.

With the trade deadline coming up next Thursday and Lamb, the No. 12 overall pick from the 2013 NBA Draft, having played so little for the Thunder, there has been some thought that he might be dealt if the Thunder choose to make a move.

Lamb would have been the only Thunder player in this All-Star Game. Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins and Reggie Jackson have all spent some time playing with the 66ers this season.

The 6th annual D-League All-Star Game will tip-off at 3 p.m. EST time today and air nationally on NBATV.

November 20, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard James White (4) dunks against the New Orleans Hornets during the fourth quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 102-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It’s NBA All-Star Weekend and the 2013 Slam Dunk Contest will be held tonight. The Saturday night festivities will begin at 8:30 p.m. EST. The dunk contest will be the final event and likely to start between 9:30-10:00 p.m. EST.

There won’t be any superstars participating in this year’s contest but there is more hope than usual that the contest will return to glory this year.

There is a new format this year where the six contestants will be divided into their respective conferences. There are two rounds where the best scores from each conference will then meet in a final round.

Here’s a look at each contestant and their dunking highlights:

Eastern Conference

James White, New York Knicks
Stats: 6.7 MPG, 1.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG

White is 30 years old and only in his third season in the NBA. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2006 and has never really found a home in the league playing in just 44 career games so far. White’s claim to fame has always been his dunking. He finished second in the McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest and has become a YouTube sensation with some of his dunks in dunk contests around the world. This is the first time White has been on an NBA team at the time of All-Star Weekend so it is fitting that he will be competing in the contest as one of the favorites to win it. White loves getting running starts for his dunks and jumping off one foot. He will use his great speed to his advantage with at least a few attempts from the free throw line tonight.

Gerald Green, Indiana Pacers
Stats: 19.8 MPG, 6.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG

Green has a history with the NBA Slam Dunk Contest already having won it back in 2007. Like White, Green was also out of the league for a little while but has come back strong the past few seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and now Indiana Pacers. Green and White have met before in a dunk contest in Russia a few years back which is known as one of the best ever. Green is a two-footed dunker and gets up extremely high with his face nearly level with the rim often times.

Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors
Stats: 16.9 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG

Ross was drafted 8th overall by the Toronto Raptors in this past NBA Draft. He came in as a solid outside shooter and great athlete which he has lived up to with his invite to this contest. Ross will join a long list of participants from Toronto in the history of the dunk contest which includes Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Ross has been especially good with windmill dunks this season.

Kyrie Irving and Team Shaq lost Friday night but the former No. 1 overall pick still managed to steal the show.

Irving found Brandon Knights trying to check him late in the second half and he went all Uncle Drew on him not once, but three times.

Irving’s handles are really in a class by themselves. He’s so smooth and makes it look so easy. Not even Knight who is a great defender in his own right can keep up with Irving.

Irving’s display was not enough to get past Team Chuck who won the game 163-135 thanks to a 90-point first half.

Kenneth Faried was the MVP scoring 40 points and he got the most help from Ricky Rubio who had 10 dimes in 15 minutes.

Rubio is perfect for this game as alley-oops and sick passes often dominate the game. Faried and his motor only know one speed so going for 40 against the smaller Team Shaq was made easy for him.

There is no better warm-up for the dunk contest than playing in a game like this with Rubio. Faried will compete in the dunk contest representing the Western Conference Saturday night.

This was the second year that the Rising Stars Challenge teams were drafted by Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. Barkley is 2-0 in the series.

February 24, 2012; Orlando FL, USA; TNT anchor Kenny Smith introduces Team Shaq general manager Shaquille O

The new tradition at NBA All-Star Weekend regarding the game between the rookies and sophomores is letting Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley draft teams from a pool made up of the two classes.

Last year was the first time the NBA did this. Barkley’s team won 146-133 as rookie Kyrie Irving captured MVP honors with 34 points and nine assists.

The two were back at it again last night drafting their teams. So which team is the favorite this year? Who had the better draft?

Well, you nearly have to give them both failing grades because Irving wasn’t taken until the third pick. Shaq went first and took rookie Damian Lillard then Barkley picked the No. 1 overall pick from the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis.

The fact that Shaq at least still ended up with Irving gives him a pass for now. Barkley taking Davis isn’t a horrible idea either since the game often hinges on who can finish the most alley-oops, something Davis is already one of the best in the league at. It’s still a head scratcher that Barkley wouldn’t draft his MVP from last year.

The key to this game is not only dunks but point guard play and three-point shooting. It also doesn’t hurt to end up with a few guys who are going to play hard.

Let’s break down which team is made up of the most of these four categories:

Dunkers

Team Shaq: Andre Drummond, Harrison Barnes, Dion Waiters
Team Chuck: Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Tristan Thompson

Point Guards

Team Shaq: Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker
Team Chuck: Ricky Rubio, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas

Three-Point Shooters

Team Shaq: Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson
Team Chuck: Bradley Beal, Brandon Knight

Going to Hustle and play a little D

Team Shaq: Chandler Parsons, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tyler Zeller
Team Chuck: Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, Alexey Shved

As you can see, the amount of each type of player that each team has is pretty even. You gave to give Team Shaq a big advantage when it comes to point guard play and shooters. Team Chuck has better dunkers and finishers of alley-oops and also has better alley-oop passers with Rubio and Shved.

A key matchup will be Parsons and MKG vs. Faried and Leonard in the hustle category. You know MKG only knows one speed and should have a big game but who on Team Shaq is containing the Manimal?

At the end of the day, it will probably come down to which team has a player who is likely to just go off and take over. This is where Team Shaq has the edge. Between Irving, Lillard and Thompson, one of them is probably going to knock down five-plus treys. Team Chuck simply doesn’t have a player like that.

The edge goes to Team Shaq but it’s only a slight advantage.

The game will be played Feb. 15.

Oct 16, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Gerald Green (25) lines up along the foul line during a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has lost its luster in recent years. The big named stars no longer participate in it and it’s reliant on props and gimmicks more than anything. It’s become more of a joke and blemish on All-Star Weekend than anything.

This year that could all change thanks to one of the most highly anticipated fields in a long time.

Defending champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz will be back in it. He will be joined by Eric Bledsoe from the Los Angeles Clippers and Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets representing the Western Conference.

The Eastern Conference will be made up of Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors and the two guys with the chance to save this contest: Gerald Green of the Indiana Pacers and James White of the New York Knicks.

Green already has experience in this contest and won it back in 2007. White has never been in the league long enough to be able to compete in it but now at age 30, he finally made it.

The best part is that Green and White have a history not only in dunk contests, but competing against each other in a dunk contest in Russia back in 2010. As you can see in the video above, it is one of the best dunk contests you’ll ever witness.

It’s time to revitalize this contest. There are no two better players to do so than Green and White. They aren’t the big time names like a Michael Jordan or Dominique Wilkins but they are truly specialists in this area. Green and White were made to dunk and grew up in an era where they have perfected dunks in dunk contests.

Real basketball junkies know what we are in store for this coming All-Star Weekend with Green and White. The casual fan will be in for a surprise. If there was ever time for the dunk contest to return to its glory, that time is now.

Feb 6, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) attempts a free throw after a technical foul on the Charlotte Bobcats in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal each have drafted their teams for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge that will be played on Feb. 16 at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas.

There was a pool comprised of 20 rookies and sophomores that Barkley and Shaq got to pick from.

Here’s how the draft ended up going:

Team Shaq

1. Damian Lillard
3. Kyrie Irving
5. Andre Drummond
7. Klay Thompson
9. Harrison Barnes
11. Chandler Parsons
13. Dion Waiters
15. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
17. Tyler Zeller
19. Kemba Walker

Team Barkley

2. Anthony Davis
4. Kenneth Faried
6. Kawhi Leonard
8. Bradley Beal
10. Ricky Rubio
12. Tristan Thompson
14. Nikola Vucevic
16. Brandon Knight
18. Isaiah Thomas
20. Alexey Shved

The big shocker was Irving not going No. 1 but amazingly Shaq was still able to draft him No. 3 overall. Irving will be playing in the All-Star Game as well and may even be a starter in that game replacing Rajon Rondo.

This is always a game dominated by point guards and who can throw and catch the most alley-oops. Team Barkley is led by Davis and Faried as great dunkers and they will have Rubio throwing them lobs all day.

It’s nearly impossible to predict a winner for this game. Usually someone just gets hot from the field and their team pulls away. That’s what happened last year when Irving took over and earned MVP honors.

Jan 26, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard James White (4) shoots as Philadelphia 76ers center Lavoy Allen (50) defends during the fourth quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers defeated the Knicks 97-80. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The participants for the 2013 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk and Three-Point competitions have been revealed.

Slam Dunk Contest: Gerald Green, Indiana Pacers; Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors; James White, New York Knicks; Eric Bledsoe, Los Angeles Clippers; Jeremy Evans, Utah Jazz; Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets

Three-Point Contest: Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers; Steve Novak, New York Knicks; Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Hornets; Mat Bonner, San Antonio Spurs; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Saturday night at All-Star Weekend has really lost its luster in recent years. The Slam Dunk Contest has become more dependent on props more than anything since no big-name stars are competing in it anymore.

There may be a resurgence this year with White and Green being in the contest. They are two of the best dunk contest dunkers of all-time and have already squared off in an epic contest before.

Skills Challenge: Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers; Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons; Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks; Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers; Jeremy Lin, Houston Rockets; Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

The Shooting Stars competition is the only one that will feature any Oklahoma City Thunder players. It is devised into four teams each led by NBA players.

Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Brook Lopez and Chris Bosh will each lead teams made up of WNBA stars and NBA legends.

Westbrook will have Robert Horry and Maya Moore on his team. Harden is joined by Sam Cassell and Tina Thompson. Lopez has Muggsy Bogues and Tamika Catchings and Bosh is with Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash.

Westbrook and Harden will also square off as head coaches of the Celebrity Game.

Jun 11, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) talks to guard James Harden (13) during practice the day before game one of the 2012 NBA finals against the Miami Heat at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden will square off against each other on All-Star Weekend as coaches for the 2013 Sprint Celebrity Game.

You don’t really think of Westbrook or Harden as being the coaching type. If you give any edge to one of them it has to be Harden. Westbrook’s not exactly the guy you expect to be drawing up plays.

It should be a fun dynamic seeing the former teammates compete in this way though.

Here is a look at the rosters for the game via NBA.com:

This year’s rosters include celebrities from film, TV, and music. Reigning 2012 Sprit NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP Kevin Hart (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”), will look to defend his title alongside stars like Grammy ® Award-winner Ne-Yo (R&B/pop star); Nick Cannon (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”); Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games); Trey Songz (R&B Singer/Actor); Usain Bolt (Olympic Gold Medal Sprinter); Arne Duncan (Secretary of Education); Terrence Jenkins (“E! News,” Anchor); Common (Rapper/Actor); John Schriffen (ABC News Correspondent); Ryen Russillo (ESPN Host); NBA Legends Dikembe Mutombo (eight-time NBA All-Star), Clyde Drexler (ten-time NBA All-Star), Sean Elliott (two-time NBA All-Star), and Bruce Bowen (NBA legend); WNBA stars Tamika Catchings ( Indiana Fever) and Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx). Queen Latifah (Rapper/Singer/Actress) and Samantha Harris (TV Host) will be the assistant coaches.

NBA All-Star Weekend will be Feb. 15-17. The Celebrity Game will be played on Friday, Feb. 15 and the game will be televised on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. EST that day.

Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

The pool of rookie and sophomores available for the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge for All-Star Weekend has been announced.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will headline the pool of sophomores. Joining him will be Kenneth Faried, Brandon Knight, Kawhi Leonard, Chandler Parsons, Klay Thompson, Trsitan Thompson, Nikola Vucevic and Kemba Walker.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis, headlines the pool of rookies. Damian Lillard, Harrison Barnes, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Alexey Shved, Dion Waiters and Tyle Zeller will join him.

The game no longer pits the rookies vs. the sophomores and instead two 9-man rosters will be drafted by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.

Irving will likely be the first pick and then rookies Davis or Lillard should expect to be drafted next. Last year, Irving was the MVP of the game scoring 34 points as he led TEAM CHUCK over TEAM SHAQ 146-133.

This game is notorious for its lack of defense and intensity. It often just turns into some sort of dunk contest by the second half while players just stand around watching each other.

Shooters like Klay Thompson and Beal should have big games. Bigs like Drummond and Davis will make good participants by catching a ton of alley-oops.

The game will take place Friday, Feb. 15 and broadcast live on TNT at 9 p.m. EST. The drafting of the rosters will be done live on TNT Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. EST.

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The 2013 NBA All-Star reserves were announced last night and unsurprisingly Russell Westbrook will join Kevin Durant as the only two Oklahoma City Thunder players to make the team.

A third Thunder player had a very good chance of making the team as well and didn’t. Serge Ibaka is in the running for the Most Improved Player Award this season averaging 14.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game this season.

TNT ran a poll last night of which players from the Western Conference were the biggest snubs and Ibaka received the second most votes behind only Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.

But was Ibaka really an All-Star snub this year?

Probably not. Ibaka has definitely made great strides this season but he’s still not quite on that All-Star level yet. Especially in the Western Conference, it’s hard to call Ibaka an All-Star with so many other great big men around.

Ibaka needs to be closer to a 16 and 10 guy to become an All-Star. He was actually pretty close to that and averaging that much for a stretch not too long ago this season but then went through a dry stretch and his numbers dropped a little.

It’s not all about offense with Ibaka either. He is one of the premiere shot blockers in the league but did see his blocks per game dip a little this season from last. If he were blocking around four shots per game this season, the coaches would have given Ibaka another look.

Ibaka isn’t exactly thought of as a defensive anchor yet either. He still gets lost from time to time defending the pick-and-roll and bites on far too many shot fakes. Once he becomes more disciplined on defense, he will gain more respect from the coaches and come closer to that All-Star level.

Ibaka will probably become an All-Star at some point in his career. Right now, there isn’t an overwhelming feeling that he will be a perennial All-Star but he should have a handful of seasons in which he makes the team.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The reserves for the NBA All-Star Game were announced Thursday night as selected by the coaches.

For the Western Conference, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge and David Lee were selected. They will join the starters Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Tim Duncan.

In the Eastern Conference, Chris Bosh, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Tyson Chandler made the team. They are joining Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett.

Westbrook joins Durant as the second Oklahoma City Thunder player to make the team. Serge Ibaka had an outside shot to make it but it is understandable that he didn’t.

Harden was an obvious choice in the Western Conference. He nearly made it a year ago coming off the bench for the Thunder and now as the top dog in Houston gets the nod.

The biggest snub in the Western Conference has to be Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors. In the Eastern Conference we aren’t seeing Paul Pierce, Brook Lopez or Brandon Jennings making the team.

An early prediction for the game has to go to the Eastern Conference. The reason is simply that they won’t have Dwight Howard wasting 5-10 possessions dribbling the ball and taking stupid 3-point shots.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The reserves for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game will be announced tonight on TNT at 7 p.m. EST.

Starting for the Western Conference this year will be Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant in the backcourt and Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard in the frontcourt.

The first four are all deserving but you can easily make the case for someone like Tim Duncan to start over Howard.

There will be seven spots left to fill out the roster on the bench. Remember, the fans don’t vote for these spots, they are selected by the coaches.

Here are my predictions:

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder – 22.7 PPG, 8.1 APG, 5.3 RPG, 23.0 PER

Westbrook and the Thunder have the best record in the league so far this season and he is having another big season. His shooting percentages have dropped but his assists have gone back up and his defense has improved as well. Westbrook is seventh in the league in scoring, fifth in assists and fifth in steals.

James Harden, Houston Rockets – 25.8 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.5 RPG, 22.0 PER

That’s right, the Thunder could have had three All-Stars this year if they didn’t trade Harden. Harden is having a fantastic season in his first year as “the man” for a new team. He’s fifth in the league in scoring and has the Rockets in position to make a real run at the playoffs this season.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs – 17.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 24.9 PER

Duncan probably should be starting in this game which is pretty incredible considering he is 36 years old. He’s sixth in the NBA in PER and Brook Lopez is the only big man ahead of him in that department. He’s only playing 30.2 minutes per game but his numbers and the Spurs’ record are enough to make up for that.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors – 20.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, 19.8 PER

Curry has managed to stay healthy this year and that means he is worthy of being named an All-Star. He and the Warriors have looked as good as they have in a long, long time and his all-around play as the floor general is the biggest reason why. He got off to a slow start shooting the ball this season but since then has returned to one of the deadliest sharp-shooters in the NBA.

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings – 18.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 21.1 PER

This may not be the most popular choice because of his attitude problems but you can’t deny Cousins’ talent and production this season. On a Kings roster that is such a mess, Cousins is putting up ridiculous numbers with relative ease. In only 32.2 minutes per game, he’s averaging 18-10-3 and has a better PER than Zach Randolph, Al Jefferson, David Lee, LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol.

David Lee, Golden State Warriors – 19.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.7 APG, 19.6 PER

Lee has helped lead the Warriors into playoff position in the incredibly difficult Western Conference. He’s having his best season since joining the Warriors and it shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies – 16.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 19.1 PER

The Grizzlies need someone to be selected as an All-Star and Randolph is that guy. He’s one of the best double-double machines in the NBA right now. He’s second in the league in rebounding behind only Dwight Howard.

Snubs: Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies; Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NBA All-Star starters were announced on TNT tonight. There weren’t any surprises if you’ve followed the voting returns over the past few weeks.

Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo will start in the backcourt for the Eastern Conference. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett will start in the frontcourt.

Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul will make up the backcourt for the Western Conference. Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin will start in the frontcourt.

Kobe led all vote-getters with 1,591,437 votes. Durant was second among vote-getters in the Western Conference with 1,504,047 votes.

LeBron had more votes than anyone in the Eastern Conference with 1,583,646 votes. Anthony was second with 1,460,950 votes.

Chris Bosh came closest to being named a starter receiving just 25,000 less votes than Garnett for the third frontcourt position. Tyson Chandler was fifth among front court vote-getters.

Jeremy Lin nearly beat out Paul for the second backcourt spot in the Western Conference finishing with 45,000 less votes.

Wade and Rondo easily led backcourt vote-getters while Kyrie Irving and Deron Williams finished third and fourth in the voting.

Russell Westbrook will undoubtedly be named a reserve for the Western Conference. James Harden will also definitely make the team. There is an outside shot that Serge Ibaka will make the team especially if anyone goes down with an injury.

Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook has improved as a basketball player in every season that he has been in the NBA. He never played point guard until he came to the Oklahoma City Thunder and ever since then he has grown as a player.

Westbrook started out as just a gifted athlete who would maybe turn into one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Then he showed he could score and do so at an alarming rate. All the while he was picking up dimes, around eight per game even though he still wasn’t a pure point.

Last season, Westbrook’s scoring prowess flexed its muscles more than ever as he was fifth in the league averaging 23.6 points per game. He shot a career-high 45.7 percent from the field but his assists dropped to 5.5 per game from 8.2 the season before.

This year he is combining the best of both worlds. Westbrook is still top 10 in the league scoring 22.4 points per game this year and he’s also top five in the league dishing out 8.3 assists per game. Combine that with his improved defense and Westbrook has again taken a step forward this season as a player.

The starters for the 62nd NBA All-Star Game are going to be announced tonight and Westbrook has a chance to be one of the starting backcourt players in the Western Conference. It is essentially a 4-man race for two starting spots in the West between Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, James Harden and Westbrook.

Starting in the NBA All-Star Game is a popularity contest because it’s the fans who vote. That may hold Westbrook back this year but in terms of who deserves to start, Westbrook is as much so as anyone.

Kobe and Paul will likely get the nod tonight while Westbrook will once again be a reserve. But Westbrook has done for his team as much as either of these two has this year.

The decision is really between Paul and Westbrook as to who should start. Kobe is leading the league in scoring right now even at age 34 and is doing so much for a Lakers team trying to tread water.

Team success has a lot to do with All-Star candidacy and Westbrook and Paul are neck-in-neck when it comes to overall record. You can first then make the case that Paul has a slight edge in this department since he’s his team’s best player while Westbrook plays second fiddle to Kevin Durant.

Paul also has an edge over Westbrook when it comes to efficiency. He has a PER of 26.6 which is third best in the NBA while Westbrook’s PER of 23.9 is 9th best in the league.

But Westbrook is actually called upon to do much more than Paul and that has to count for something. It’s easier to be more efficient while doing less and that’s part of why Paul ranks where he does.

Sure, Paul runs the show for the Clippers and always has the ball in his hands but Westbrook is straddled with the responsibility of being a volume shooter for OKC. Westbrook takes the bad shots which allows Durant to be the golden boy who can never do any wrong.

It’s a burden that will garner Westbrook criticism for his entire career but one that should be admired for someone like him to accept.

It’s not just this that separates Westbrook from Paul. Westbrook is also the more complete player. They technically play the same position but that’s not really the case. Westbrook is more of a Dwyane Wade-type while Paul is the traditional point. This gives Westbrook the chance to affect the game in more ways than Paul.

Westbrook is the best offensive rebounding point guard in the league. It’s not even close. He’s a great defensive rebounder too and a more versatile defender than Paul is.

So while Paul is more efficient in his role in LA, Westbrook produces more with what he’s doing in OKC.

At the end of the day, both Paul and Westbrook are deserving to start in this game. You can make a case for either and it sometimes will just come down to a matter of taste.

Paul will likely get the nod when the starters are announced tonight on TNT and that will be very fitting for Westbrook. He likes being doubted, underappreciated and still having to prove himself. That’s part of what makes Westbrook so valuable. What makes him deserving of the recognition as a starter in the NBA All-Star Game.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Voting for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game starters has ended and the starters will be announced tonight on TNT at 7 p.m. EST.

The fans of course vote for the starters of this game which can be a good thing and a bad thing. By voting fans will of course get to see who they want in this game but there’s also the case where fans really don’t know what they’re talking about it the voting becomes a popularity contest.

So predicting the starters for this game is basically predicting which five players from each conference are the most popular. That makes it pretty easy to do.

There was a change to the voting this year eliminating the center position and instead classifying the voting for two backcourt players and three frontcourt players.

Eastern Conference Backcourt

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat – 19.9 PPG, 4.4 APG, 4.7 RPG, 22.8 PER

Wade has fallen off somewhat this season but not far enough to miss out on starting in this game. He is still one of the best guards in the league and the competition in the Eastern Conference isn’t enough to knock him off.

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics – 13.0 PPG, 11.2 APG, 5.1 RPG, 18.5 PER

Rondo is leading the league in assists and having one of the best seasons of his career. He hasn’t taken the leap to stardom quite as much as some expected but he is still one of the best in the league.

Bench: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers; Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers

Easten Conference Frontcourt

LeBron James, Miami Heat – 26.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 6.9 APG, 29.8 PER

LeBron is leading the league in PER for the sixth straight season. He’s coming off the best season of his career and playing this year as well as ever. Most impressively he’s shooting 54.6 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from the 3-point line.

Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks – 29.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 25.7 PER

Anthony is also having the best season of his career as the Knicks have gotten off to a great start to the year. Anthony has really found his role on this team and has been shooting the best he’s ever had.

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics – 14.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 18.6 PER

Garnett has the lowest PER this season since his second year in the league back in 1996-97. His numbers don’t tell the whole story though as he is still one of the premiere defenders for his position in the NBA. This is where the voting turns into a popularity contest.

Bench: Chris Bosh, Miami Heat; Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks; Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls; Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks

Western Conference Backcourt

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers – 29.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.9 RPG, 24.9 PER

Kobe is amazingly leading the league in scoring at 34 years of age and shooting the ball the best he’s done in years. The Lakers have really struggled this season and the playoffs are very seriously in jeopardy but that won’t stop Kobe from starting in this game. Kobe will likely finish with more votes than anyone and start in this game for the rest of his career, regardless of whether or not he deserves to.

Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers – 16.8 PPG, 9.7 APG, 3.5 RPG, 26.6 PER

Paul and the Clippers are looking like one of the best teams in the league this season. Paul is of course the biggest reason for this as captain of their ship. He’s not having the best season of his career but it should be good enough to land him more votes than Russell Westbrook, James Harden or Jeremy Lin.

Bench: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder; James Harden, Houston Rockets; Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Western Conference Frontcourt

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 28.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 28.8 PER

Durant is having the best season of his career and the only player in the league who can come close to standing toe-to-toe with LeBron. Durant is having an all-time season shooting the ball as he is currently on pace to become the seventh player ever to join the 50-40-90 club.

Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers – 17.8 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 20.5 PER

Things haven’t gone as planned this season for Howard and the Lakers. Howard still looks hurt and the Lakers aren’t winning. Howard is still leading the league in rebounding but does have his lowest PER since his second season in the league. There may be a few others more deserving than Howard but if he starts, it won’t be the worst thing in the world.

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers – 17.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 22.4 PER

Griffin’s numbers are down across the board this season but that also includes his minutes. The Clippers are winning though and Griffin is of course a big part of that. Griffin will definitely make this team because of the popularity factor. The good news is that there is no better player for All-Star Game highlights in the league than Griffin.

Bench: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs; Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies; Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers

The 2013 NBA All-Star uniforms have been unveiled. The All-Star game will be played in Houston, Texas this year and the uniforms are based on the aeronautical history of Houston.

Designed by adidas, the uniforms take inspiration from Houston’s rich aeronautical history and the speed of the jet planes that dot its skies. The uniforms’ eye-catching impact camo pattern evokes the world’s fastest fleet of aircraft with the classic silhouette of a basketball net.

“The NBA All-Star Game is an exciting time to unite adidas’ line of performance and style products to celebrate the court-to-street style that runs through basketball culture around the world,” said Lawrence Norman, adidas Vice President, Global Basketball. “2013 marks adidas’ sixth season designing NBA All-Star uniforms and every year we look forward to introducing performance innovations that help the best basketball players in the world lift off and take their games to the next level in front of a global audience.”

The adidas 2013 NBA All-Star uniforms feature specially-engineered mesh to provide maximum mobility and breathability. The West (red) and East (royal blue) uniforms also feature the adidas iconic three-stripe design flanking the side of both the jersey and shorts. The uniform lettering and numbers are inspired by the stenciled style on jet planes.

Players will take to the court in black-and-white aviator-style NBA All-Star warm-ups featuring metal zippers made with a similar anodized finish used on airplanes. Each player’s jacket will be customized to represent individual career accomplishments such as NBA All-Star Game appearances and All-Star MVP awards, NBA titles, in addition to regular season awards and Scoring Championships

The 62nd NBA All-Star game will be played on Feb. 17.

Kevin Durant will definitely be a starter for the Western Conference while Russell Westbrook should definitely make the team as well. Serge Ibaka has an outside shot to make it especially if someone gets injured.

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The third returns are in for the NBA All-Star voting and nothing has changed as far as the starters are concerned.

For the Western Conference, if voting ended today the starters would be: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard.

For the Eastern Conference: Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett.

Kobe still leads all vote getters with 1,177,456 votes. LeBron is second with 1,151,304 and Durant third with 1,088,797.

Russell Westbrook checks in as the fifth leading vote getter among Western Conference guards with 268,558 votes. He is behind Kobe, Paul, Jeremy Lin and James Harden.

Serge Ibaka is ninth among Western Conference frontcourt players with 134,172 votes. That puts Ibaka right behind Omer Asik and Rudy Gay and right ahead of Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge.

The closest races to overtake current starters are between Garnett and Chris Bosh in the East. Garnett leads Bosh by just under 28,000 votes. Then in the West, Paul leads Lin by only a little over 46,000 votes.

Here are all of the vote totals via NBA.com.

Eastern Conference

Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (Mia) 1,151,304
2. Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 1,054,099
3. Kevin Garnett (Bos) 390,751
4. Chris Bosh (Mia) 362,973
5. Tyson Chandler (NYK) 315,752
6. Paul Pierce (Bos) 205,096
7. Joakim Noah (Chi) 158,743
8. Josh Smith (Atl) 131,508
9. Anderson Varejao (Cle) 116,166
10. Shane Battier (Mia) 107,190
11. Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK) 104,109
12. Andrew Bynum (Phi) 93,611
13. Luol Deng (Chi) 90,736
14. Brook Lopez (BKN) 76,695
15. Jeff Green (Bos) 62,367

Backcourt
1. Dwyane Wade (Mia) 765,077
2. Rajon Rondo (Bos) 675,822
3. Deron Williams (BKN) 350,618
4. Kyrie Irving (Cle) 308,878
5. Ray Allen (Mia) 232,441
6. Monta Ellis (Mil) 84,609
7. Raymond Felton (NYK) 77,123
8. Jrue Holiday (Phi) 66,514
9. Jason Terry (Bos) 62,189
10. Brandon Jennings (Mil) 56,826

Western Conference

Frontcourt
1. Kevin Durant (OKC) 1,088,797
2. Dwight Howard (LAL) 716,671
3. Blake Griffin (LAC) 593,024
4. Tim Duncan (SA) 352,534
5. Pau Gasol (LAL) 239,440
6. Kevin Love (Min) 221,291
7. Omer Asik (Hou) 160,935
8. Rudy Gay (Mem) 140,864
9. Serge Ibaka (OKC) 134,172
10. Marc Gasol (Mem) 114,465
11. LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 111,156
12. Zach Randolph (Mem) 111,046
13. Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 106,623
14. Metta World Peace (LAL) 106,025
15. Chandler Parsons (Hou) 93,057

Backcourt
1. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,177,456
2. Chris Paul (LAC) 651,893
3. Jeremy Lin (Hou) 605,624
4. James Harden (Hou) 337,585
5. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 268,558
6. Steve Nash (LAL) 202,274
7. Tony Parker (SA) 128,966
8. Ricky Rubio (Min) 112,352
9. Stephen Curry (GS) 97,761
10. Manu Ginobili (SA) 84,564

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing has changed as the second returns for the NBA All-Star Balloting have been released. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are still getting more votes than anyone else and Kevin Durant is still the leading frontcourt vote-getter in the Western Conference.

As of right now, the projected starters would go like this:

West: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard

East: Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett

Again, the new voting format with no center position is so far having no impact on the starters since Howard and Garnett are both centers.

As far as snubs go, Anderson Varejao is probably more deserving to start over Garnett in the Eastern Conference. The same can be said for Tim Duncan starting over Howard in the Western Conference.

Russell Westbrook remains the fifth leading vote-getter among Western Conference guards behind Jeremy Lin and James Harden. Lin actually isn’t that far behind Paul to start for the West which would be a big shame if that somehow occurs.

Serge Ibaka still has an outside shot to make the team with just eight Western Conference frontcourt players ahead of him in the voting. Coaches pick the reserves and Ibaka may get the nod over some players like Omer Asik, Kevin Love or Rudy Gay if he keeps playing so well

Here are the exact vote totals so far courtesy of NBA.com:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Frontcourt: LeBron James (Mia) 970,314; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 891,759; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 328,716; Chris Bosh (Mia) 308,194; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 260,000; Paul Pierce (Bos) 171,601; Joakim Noah (Chi) 129,331; Josh Smith (Atl) 111,260; Anderson Varejao (Cle) 99,955; Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK) 90,996; Shane Battier (Mia) 88,800; Andrew Bynum (Phi) 84,939; Luol Deng (Chi) 76,400; Brook Lopez (BKN) 67,991; Jeff Green (Bos) 52,785.

Backcourt: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 645,875; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 574,272; Deron Williams (BKN) 309,778; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 258,193; Ray Allen (Mia) 195,142; Monta Ellis (Mil) 71,287; Raymond Felton (NYK) 66,745; Jrue Holiday (Phi) 56,683; Jason Terry (Bos) 52,833; Brandon Jennings (Mil) 49,122.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Frontcourt: Kevin Durant (OKC) 924,898; Dwight Howard (LAL) 616,150; Blake Griffin (LAC) 489,795; Tim Duncan (SA) 299,434; Pau Gasol (LAL) 197,377; Kevin Love (Min) 189,949; Omer Asik (Hou) 131,002; Rudy Gay (Mem) 125,562; Serge Ibaka (OKC) 111,963; Marc Gasol (Mem) 99,271; Zach Randolph (Mem) 97,778; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 97,090; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 93,491; Metta World Peace (LAL) 85,279; Chandler Parsons (Hou) 78,235.

Backcourt: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 977,444; Chris Paul (LAC) 542,564; Jeremy Lin (Hou) 496,133; James Harden (Hou) 283,691; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 232,074; Steve Nash (LAL) 166,262; Tony Parker (SA) 111,032; Ricky Rubio (Min) 96,466; Stephen Curry (GS) 78,380; Manu Ginobili (SA) 70,813.

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook hinted yesterday that he might consider participating in the Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend at some point in his career at least.

“It’s up in the air,” Westbrook told Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. “I would like to before it’s too late but I don’t know whether I’m going to feel like doing it or not.”

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has lost its luster over the past few years. Just try to remember who won it last year. It keeps getting harder to remember the contests or the dunks every year.

A big part of that is that the game’s best players no longer participate. Who knows what the real reason is for this but there’s no question that is the biggest reason why the popularity in the contest is dwindling.

Nowadays you can easily pick up guys off the street who can perform some of the dunks we see over All-Star Weekend. This is a clear sign that it is not just about the dunks but about who is doing the dunking.

Westbrook could really help the contest. For one, he is close to being the best athlete in the league if not already and could attract other superstars to compete in it as well.

As far as Westbrook’s chances to win the contest, those aren’t particularly high. He’s never been overly creative with his dunks instead focusing on power and attitude more than anything. But maybe he’s got something up his sleeve that we don’t know about. He sure has the physical tools to pull off just about any kind of dunk you can think of.

Chances are we won’t see Westbrook in the Dunk Contest this year. And it would be surprising if he’s ever in it really. He’s in his fifth season in the NBA this year and rarely do players compete in the contest after their first few years.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The first returns for NBA All-Star voting were announced today and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant checks in with the third most votes so far with 605,955. Only LeBron James (641,348) and Kobe Bryant (639,419) have more votes so far.

The voting changed this year so that fans will no longer be voting for the center position and instead two guards and three frontcourt players to determine who starts.

The current leaders to start in the Western Conference would be Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard. In the Eastern Conference it would be Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett.

So at this instance the removal of the center position would have no impact on the starters since Howard and Garnett are both centers this year.

Russell Westbrook is likely a lock to make the team as he has received the fifth most votes so far among Western guards. James Harden is ahead of him at fourth while Jeremy Lin is third.

Serge Ibaka has some work to do to be a serious prospect to make the team with eight frontcourt players currently receiving more votes than him.

Here are the vote totals so far:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Frontcourt: LeBron James (Mia) 641,348; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 573,112; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 218,246; Chris Bosh (Mia) 210,724; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 151,744; Paul Pierce (Bos) 114,735; Joakim Noah (Chi) 73,366; Josh Smith (Atl) 69,344; Andrew Bynum (Phi) 68,596; Amar’e Stoudemire (NYK) 64,266; Shane Battier (Mia) 59,419; Anderson Varejao (Cle) 57,336; Luol Deng (Chi) 48,450; Brook Lopez (BKN) 47,940; Jeff Green (Bos) 36,080.

Backcourt: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 430,925; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 382,613; Deron Williams (BKN) 211,426; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 155,989; Ray Allen (Mia) 130,016; Monta Ellis (Mil) 47,650; Raymond Felton (NYK) 37,974; Jason Terry (Bos) 36,147; Brandon Jennings (Mil) 35,610; Jrue Holiday (Phi) 35,193.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Frontcourt: Kevin Durant (OKC) 605,965; Dwight Howard (LAL) 434,168; Blake Griffin (LAC) 307,855; Tim Duncan (SA) 189,577; Pau Gasol (LAL) 139,868; Kevin Love (Min) 112,922; Omer Asik (Hou) 88,178; Rudy Gay (Mem) 85,279; Serge Ibaka (OKC) 68,285; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 66,290; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 63,056; Marc Gasol (Mem) 61,716; Zach Randolph (Mem) 59,916; Metta World Peace (LAL) 59,167; Anthony Davis (NO) 53,779.

Backcourt: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 639,419; Chris Paul (LAC) 353,603; Jeremy Lin (Hou) 298,319; James Harden (Hou) 196,108; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 143,437; Steve Nash (LAL) 118,073; Tony Parker (SA) 69,983; Ricky Rubio (Min) 54,744; Manu Ginobili (SA) 47,800; O.J. Mayo (Dal) 36,495.

Balloting will conclude on Jan. 14 and the starters will be announced live on TNT on Jan. 17.