The National Basketball Association unveiled the reserves for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game on Thursday night, which drew mixed reactions from fans and basketball analysts.
The Atlanta Hawks, who are on top of the Eastern Conference standings with their 38-8 record, will send three players to New York as Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague were voted by coaches.
Joining three Hawks players are Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls, Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade of the Heat.
The Eastern Conference reserves will team up with starters LeBron James of the Cavaliers, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, Pau Gasol of the Bulls, John Wall of the Washington Wizards and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.
On the other hand, Oklahoma City Thunder dynamic duo Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were also voted to play for the Western Conference squad in the 2015 All-Star Game.
Joining them are LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Western Conference reserves will backup starters Stephen Curry of the Warriors, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, Blake Griffin of the Clippers and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies. Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was also voted as a starter, but will not play after undergoing a season-ending shoulder injury.
Who are the prominent snubs?
A panel of trusted ESPN analysts named Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard as one of the players who should have been voted by coaches to play in the annual spectacle.
Lillard, who made it into the 2014 Western Conference All-Star team, is averaging 21.8 points to go along with 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season - better than his averages of 20.7 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds last season.
Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was not voted as a reserve as well, which drew negative comments online. However, the league announced that the 24-year-old, who is averaging 23.8 points and 12.3 rebounds this season, will replace Bryant in the Western Conference roster.
Most analysts are also convinced that Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver deserves a spot in New York this season. The sharp-shooting guard is averaging just 13.0 points, but is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 53.4 percent from beyond the arc and 92.3 percent from the free-throw line.
The 2015 NBA All-Star Game, which will be the 64th iteration of the mid-season event, is scheduled on Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
