The coaches have spoken and the final roster for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game is now official.
For the East, it will be Miami Heat center Chris Bosh, New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and Bulls small forward Luol Deng, Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday and Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving.
And rounding out the West, Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden will make his first All-Star Game appearance, joined by Portland Trail Blazers center LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan along with Spurs point guard Tony Parker, Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee, Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph, and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook.
The results were announced on TNT, and were gathered as a result of polling all 30 head coaches from around the NBA.
For Duncan, the nod marks his 14th All-Star Game selection, Bosh made his eight appearance, while Harden, Chandler, Noah, George, Irving and Holiday are making their first appearances at the gala event.
There were some notable snubs that the panel on TNT--consisting of host Ernie Johnson and NBA legends Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, Chris Webber, and Charles Barkley-noticed on the roster selection.
In particular, it was the absence of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who is eighth-best in the NBA in points scored with 20.9 points per game.
Barkley, in particular, was irate about the absence of Curry from the roster, adding that he "couldn't wait" to have a chance to speak his mind about the coaches' decision to omit Curry.
Also absent from the West roster was Marc Gasol, who has been having a stellar year for Memphis at center.
From the east, notable All-Star exclusions included the New York Knicks' explosive sixth man J.R. Smith, the second leading scorer on the Knicks with 16.7 points, as well as Deron Williams and Brook Lopez from the Brooklyn Nets.
The exclusion of Lopez, averaging 18.6 points and 7.4 rebounds with 2.1 blocks, drew surprise from the panel, with some of the panelists suggesting that the NBA coaches decided to punish the Nets stars for getting their previous coach, Avery Johnson, fired earlier this month amid rumors of Williams not getting along with Johnson as the team struggled.
All-Star Game Schedule
The NBA All-Star Game will air at 8 p.m. EST, Sunday, Feb. 17 on TNT.
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