LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates with Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics during the final seconds second half at Quicken Loans Arena on December 29, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo : Getty Images/Jason Miller)
People in social media are battling to bring their favorite National Basketball Association players in the 2017 All-Star Game in February in New Orleans by tweeting with the hashtag #NBAVote along the name of their chosen players. However, fan votes are sometimes biased and they may vote for players who are not really deserving for the spot. Here are the deserving starters for the All-Star Game:
East:
Backcourt: Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Thomas is having a career year for himself. Standing at 5-foot-9, Thomas has been outplaying guards around the East who are bigger than him. He recently dropped 52 points for the Celtics and he is averaging 27.8 points, which ranks fifth in the NBA, 6.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
Backcourt: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
DeRozan is scoring 27.5 points per game, the sixth best in the league, while grabbing 5.0 rebounds and dishing 4.0 assists per game. At the beginning of the season, he has continuously dropped 30 points in a string of games before the emergence of Kyle Lowry.
Frontcourt: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
At 32 years old, 'The King' is still a Most Valuable Candidate, per NBA's Race to MVP Ladder. James, with a huge fan base and with the respect of players around the league, is assured of another Eastern Conference start and his 13th All-Star Game appearance.
Frontcourt: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
The 'Greek Freek' is living up to his name this season with career-bests of 23.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.9 steals. The Bucks, even with sniper Khris Middleton, are thriving in the East at sixth place mostly because of Antetokounmpo's MVP-caliber season.
Frontcourt: Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Despite the Chicago Bulls not meeting expectations, Butler is one of the bright spots the team can look forward to. 'Jimmy Buckets' has been getting buckets through the first half of this season, highlighted by his 52-point performance this week. He is averaging career-bests of 25.2 points and 6.8 rebounds.
West:
Backcourt: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook is one of the frontrunners in the MVP race and it is a no-brainer why he is deserving of this spot. 'Brodie' is averaging a triple-double of 30.9 points (the best in the NBA), 10.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists.
Backcourt: James Harden, Houston Rockets
Since being designated point guard for the Rockets, Harden's assists numbers has drastically increased without affecting his scoring. He is currently averaging 28.4 points, 11.9 assists and 8.2 boards, a statline also worthy of an MVP award.
Frontcourt: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Despite sharing the ball with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Durant has remained one the league's best scorers. But what stands out in his stay with the Warriors is his emergence as a shotblocker. He is averaging 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals.
Frontcourt: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
'The Brow,' despite the struggle of the Pelicans in the West, is having his best NBA season of his young career. At 23 years old, Davis is already averaging 28.9 points (second in the NBA), 11.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks (best in the NBA).
Frontcourt: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Despite being involved in tons of trade rumors, the latest from Forbes, Cousins has put the Kings in the tough Western Conference playoff picture. Cousins is the only player in league history to score 52 points and get unejected before sealing a game with a free throw. He is norming 28.6 points (third in the NBA), 9.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals.
Watch the video below for some of the other NBA stars deserving for an All-Star Game spot:
