The NBA has released the starting lineup for the 2015 All-Star Game and few people will be surprised by who is on the list. In a pregame special on TNT Thursday night, Inside the NBA revealed the starters for both conferences that will be playing in the game. The 2015 All-Star Game will be held February 15 at Madison Square Garden.
Eastern Conference Starters
Position Player Team
FC Pau Gasol Chicago Bulls
FC LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
FC Carmelo Anthony New York Knicks
BC John Wall Washington Wizards
BC Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors
LeBron James led the Eastern conference in the overall voting. James has been part of the game for 11 of his 12 seasons. This season, he has averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. Teammate Kyle Lowry has helped the Toronto Raptors to their current third place status in the Eastern conference with career high averages of 19.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.9 rebounds this season.
Pau Gasol received the second-highest amount of votes in the Eastern conference. This season, he has solidified his place as one of the best players for the Chicago Bulls with averages of 18.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Carmelo Anthony continues to be one of the biggest stars in the sport, although the Knicks have had a terrible showing this year. Many are interested to see how Anthony performs in the All-Star Game. Anthony and James have a combined 19 All-Star appearances between them.
Western Conference All-Stars
Position Player Team
FC Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies
FC Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans
FC Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers
BC Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
BC Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry led the Western conference in overall voting due to his exceptional playing this year. Teammate Anthony Davis may be the NBA’s best player this year, averaging 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. Marc Gasol is arguably the best player the Memphis Grizzlies team and deserving of a spot in the All-Star Game.
While it is not surprising that Kobe Bryant has been named a starter for the All-Star Game, an injury to his rotator cuff may mean that he’ll be sitting out instead of playing in the game. If so, this will be the second time in two years that he has been tapped to play but had to sit out. In the event that Bryant does not play, James Harden will probably be his replacement.