The NBA: My 2013 NBA All-Star Reserves

The 2013 NBA All-Star voting has passed, and the starters have been named. In case you’ve been living under a rock, however, here are the ten starters for the February 18, 2013 (Manila Time) extravaganza:

Legend (The NBA did away with the 2 guards, 2 forwards, and 1 center set-up):

B – Backcourt

F – Frontcourt

WEST	EAST
B – Chris Paul (LAC)	B – Rajon Rondo (BOS)
B – Kobe Bryant (LAL)	B – Dwyane Wade (MIA)
F – Kevin Durant (OKC)	F – LeBron James (MIA)
F – Blake Griffin (LAC)	F – Carmelo Anthony (NYK)
F – Dwight Howard (LAL)	F – Kevin Garnett (BOS)

Even with Kevin Garnett not exactly putting up the kind of production that would land him in the top 10 (or 20… or even 30) of the league in terms of Player Efficiency, his spot is still understandable because the starters are determined by fan voting. These are the guys the fans want to see, whether they “deserve” to be there or not.

Carmelo Anthony joins a stellar list of players in the
NBA's All-Star Weekend from Feb. 15-17, 2013.
(image by Matt Dunham/AP)

Aside from KG, the other guys NOT in the league’s top 10 in overall player efficiency are Blake Griffin, Rajon Rondo, and Dwyane Wade. Still, the fans don’t care about stats as much as they do about star power, and these guys have that in spades.

I believe, however, that it should be a different story with the reserves. I believe that, whomever the coach is going to be, he should be mindful enough to prioritize player production over star power. Give the All-Star slot to those who have shown, through their on-court contributions, that they are, indeed, the best players in the NBA.

With that in mind, here are my picks for the 2013 NBA All-Star reserves (the NBA wants 2 backcourt players, 3 frontcourt players, and 2 others regardless of position for the reserves):

WEST	EAST
B – Russell Westbrook	B – Jrue Holiday
B – James Harden	B – Kyrie Irving
F – David Lee	F – Paul George
F – Tim Duncan	F – Chris Bosh
F – Al Jefferson	F – Joakim Noah
F – LaMarcus Aldridge	F – Al Horford
B – Steph Curry	F – Tyson Chandler

Look at the Player Rankings in terms of Player Efficiency on HoopsStats.com to see why these guys deserve their spots.

Game Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

January 16

Orlando 97, Indiana 86

Nikola Vucevic racked up 16 points and 15 rebounds and the Orlando Magic used some sharp-shooting from 3-point range to earn a 97-86 victory over the previously hot Indiana Pacers at Amway Arena. Orlando made good on 12-of-21 shots from beyond the arc against the NBA's leader in 3-point percentage defense, with Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick each going 4-of-6 from that distance in dual 14-point, six-assist efforts. Arron Afflalo added 15 points to help the Magic record only their second win in their last 13 outings. In contrast, Indiana -- which had won five of six and 14 of 18 coming in -- went a poor 2-of-17 on 3-point tries. Paul George led the Pacers with 20 points and 10 rebounds, with George Hill finishing with 15 points and David West scoring 14 along with seven rebounds in defeat.

Chicago 107, Toronto 105 (OT)

Luol Deng hit a jumper with 3.3 seconds to play in overtime as Chicago escaped Toronto with a 107-105 victory on Wednesday. Deng finished the game with 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds while Carlos Boozer had a game-high 36 points with 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won three of four. Alan Anderson had 27 points and five boards while Kyle Lowry gave 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Raptors, who have dropped their past three games.

Atlanta 109, Brooklyn 95

The return of former guard Joe Johnson seemingly energized the sluggish Atlanta Hawks offense. Two nights after scoring just 58 points in a blowout loss to Chicago, the Hawks had six players in double-figures, led by Jeff Teague's career-best 28 points, and Atlanta ended the Brooklyn Nets' seven-game winning streak with a 109-95 triumph on Wednesday. Teague connected on 12-of-18 shots from the field while additionally dishing out 11 assists. Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia also posted double-doubles, with Horford tallying 17 points and 13 rebounds. Pachulia fell just two assists shy of a triple-double, totaling 13 points and 11 boards for the Hawks, who played without forward Josh Smith. Atlanta suspended its leading scorer for the contest for conduct detrimental to the team, but didn't seem to miss him as they shot 57.7 percent for the game. Johnson, a six-time All Star with the Hawks, played his first game against his former team since being traded to Brooklyn this past offseason. He scored 15 points, but shot just 4-of-15 from the field. Brook Lopez finished with 22 points and nine boards in the defeat for the Nets, who lost for just the second time under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo.

New Orleans 90, Boston 78

Al-Farouq Aminu amassed 18 points and eight rebounds as the resurgent New Orleans Hornets stopped Boston's season-high win streak with a 90-78 triumph over the Celtics at TD Garden. Despite the absence of leading scorer Eric Gordon, held out with the team playing on back-to-back nights after recently returning from knee surgery, the Hornets notched their sixth win in seven games with balanced scoring and by dominating the glass. Robin Lopez chipped in 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Greivis Vasquez put forth a 15-point, 11-rebound effort and Anthony Davis accumulated 10 points and 10 boards to help New Orleans finish with a 48-33 rebounding advantage. Boston came in having won six in a row -- its longest unbeaten run since a 14-game stretch in 2010-11 -- but made just 4-of-18 attempts from 3-point range and shot a miserable 37.5 percent (6- of-16) from the foul line. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 15 points, with Paul Pierce netting 12 along with 10 rebounds.

Dallas 105, Houston 100

Dirk Nowitzki led six Dallas players in double figures with 19 points and the Mavericks edged the Houston Rockets, 105-100, on Wednesday at American Airlines Center. Shawn Marion and O.J. Mayo scored 18 points apiece, Elton Brand added 11 and Darren Collison and Jae Crowder each netted 10 for the Mavs, winners in four straight. James Harden scored 20 point, Jeremy Lin added 19 and Chandler Parsons donated 18 points the for the Rockets, who have dropped a season-high five straight.

Oklahoma City 117, Denver 97

Russell Westbrook shot 12-of-20 for a game-high 32 points, as the Oklahoma City Thunder led wire-to-wire in a 117-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin scored 20 points apiece for the Thunder, who notched their fifth win in a row behind a defense that forced 21 Nuggets turnovers. Kosta Koufos had 16 points and nine rebounds for Denver, which had its winning streak snapped at six games.

San Antonio 103, Memphis 82

Tim Duncan fueled San Antonio with 19 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and four assists to help the Spurs cruise past the Memphis Grizzlies, 103-82, at the AT&T Center on Wednesday. Tony Parker followed with 17 points and 11 assists in pushing the Spurs' home winning streak to 13 games. San Antonio played without Manu Ginobili, who is expected to miss 10-14 days after injuring his hamstring in Sunday's win over Minnesota, but Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw and Kawhi Leonard stepped up in his absence. Splitter tallied 10 points and nine assists, while Diaw and Leonard scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the Spurs' 19th straight divisional win at home. Rudy Gay returned for Memphis after missing Monday's game to attend his grandmother's funeral. He led the Grizzlies with 17 points and eight rebounds, but could not help them from their third consecutive double-digit loss. Marc Gasol scored 12 points and Zach Randolph and Tony Allen each finished with 11 for the Grizzlies, who have lost six in a row during the regular season at San Antonio.

Cleveland 93, Portland 88

Kyrie Irving sank clutch shots late and finished with a game-high 31 points, as the Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 93-88 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Irving put his team ahead for good with a pullup jumper late in the contest and sank a pair of free throws to put the game on ice, ending a four-game road skid for the Cavs. He also added five assists and four steals. Tristan Thompson tallied a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Tyler Zeller added 11 points and nine boards in the triumph. Portland once again suffered defeat in heartbreaking fashion after rallying from a 19-point deficit to take the lead. Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and J.J. Hickson all posted double-doubles, but the Trail Blazers dropped their fourth straight game. Batum scored a team- high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but committed nine of Portland's 19 turnovers. Aldridge tallied 15 points and 10 boards and Hickson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Sacramento 95, Washington 94

Tyreke Evans' free throw with 11.9 seconds left lifted the Sacramento Kings past the Washington Wizards, 95-94, on Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena. With the game knotted up at 94-94, Evans drove across the lane from the right wing and was tripped by Nene, throwing up a wild shot to draw the foul. Evans then buried the first free throw before bricking the second and leaving the Wizards with a chance to win the game with just over 10 ticks remaining. After corralling the miss, Washington called a timeout to advance the ball past midcourt. The Wizards threw it in to Bradley Beal, who missed a jumper with 2.9 seconds left. John Wall, however, grabbed the rebound and fired up a desperation shot that drew iron as time expired and the Kings held on for their second consecutive win. Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and John Salmons each scored 21 points in the win. Cousins also had 16 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Beal led all scorers with a career-high 26 points while setting a Wizards rookie record for 3-pointers made in a game by going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. Kevin Seraphin added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Nene finished with 15 points, nine boards and six assists for the Wizards, who had a season-high three-game winning streak snapped.

Miami 92, Golden State 75

LeBron James had 25 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and made NBA history in the Miami Heat's 92-75 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. With his offensive output, James has amassed 20,007 career points, making him the youngest player to reach that mark at 28 years, 17 days old. Kobe Bryant previously held the record at 29 years, 122 days old. He became the 38th player to accomplish the feat, but by doing it in his 726th regular-season game he did not reach the milestone the fastest. Wilt Chamberlain holds that record by doing it in just 499 games. Dwyane Wade contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Heat, who have won two of their last three. Mario Chalmers added 15 points, Chris Bosh finished with 11 and Ray Allen dropped in 10 in the victory. Jarrett Jack netted 16 points to pace Golden State, which dropped its second straight and four of five overall. David Lee finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

Will Steph Curry (R) receive an All-Star slot to back-up
the West's starting PG -- Chris Paul?
(image by Jose Sanchez/AP)

January 17

New York 102, Detroit 87

Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 26 points and J.R. Smith netted 16 points, six rebounds and four assists as the New York Knicks outlasted the Detroit Pistons, 102-87, at the O2 Arena in London. Amar'e Stoudemire contributed 17 points and Steve Novak added 13 points on 3- of-6 shooting from 3-point range for the Knicks, who have now won two straight games after a three-game skid last week. Will Bynum led Detroit with 22 points - 18 of which came in the second half - on 10-of-16 shooting from the field. Kyle Singler registered 15 points and four assists for the Pistons, who have lost two straight.

LA Clippers 90, Minnesota 77

Jamal Crawford scored a game-high 22 points as the Los Angeles Clippers continued to roll without star guard Chris Paul with a 90-77 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. Paul, who was named a starter for the Western Conference in the upcoming All- Star Game on Thursday, missed the last three games with a bruised knee and Los Angeles has not missed a beat, winning all three contests. Blake Griffin added 20 points in this one, while Ronny Turiaf and Matt Barnes contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. Luke Ridnour paced Minnesota with 21 points and Andrei Kirilenko followed with 15 in the Timberwolves' fifth straight loss. Ricky Rubio made his first start of the season while still recovering from a pair of torn ligaments in his left knee and recorded four points and six assists.

Milwaukee 98, Phoenix 94

The Milwaukee Bucks accomplished something on Thursday they hadn't since Ronald Reagan was in the Oval Office. Monta Ellis scored a game-high 24 points and the Bucks used a late run in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns in Phoenix, 98-94, for the first time since Feb. 21, 1987. Larry Sanders had a career-high 19 points with 15 rebounds and recorded two big blocks during the Bucks' game-sealing 10-0 run. Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy each netted 16 points in Milwaukee's fourth win in six games. The Suns had won 24 straight as the hosts in this series, including all 19 contests at US Airways Center, which opened in 1992. Shannon Brown paced Phoenix, which has dropped four straight at home for the first time since March 2004, with 20 points, while Luis Scola added 16 points and eight boards in defeat.

Miami 99, LA Lakers 90

LeBron James filled the stat sheet with 39 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Miami Heat past the Los Angeles Lakers, 99-90, at the Staples Center. Dwyane Wade added 27 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Heat, who won their second straight game and three of four overall. Kobe Bryant paced Los Angeles with 22 points on just 8-of-25 shooting against a stifling Miami defense that forced 20 Laker turnovers. Metta World Peace followed with 16 points and Dwight Howard contributed a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds as Los Angeles had its brief two-game win streak snapped. Pau Gasol returned from a five-game absence because of a concussion and recorded 12 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench.

January 18

Chicago 100, Boston 99 (OT)

Marco Belinelli's turnaround jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Chicago Bulls to a 100-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in a nail-biter at TD Garden. Richard Hamilton scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah each posted double-doubles to help the Bulls notch their third consecutive win and fifth straight triumph on the road, where the club improved to an Eastern Conference-best 12-5 on the season. Boozer amassed 19 points and a season-high 20 rebounds, with Noah finishing with 14 points and 13 boards. Rajon Rondo racked up a season-best 30 points along with seven assists in leading Boston back from an eight-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, before fouling out with 1:16 to go in the extra session. Kevin Garnett added 16 points and Jared Sullinger pulled down 15 rebounds for the Celtics, losers of two straight following a season-high six-game win streak.

Indiana 105, Houston 95

Paul George scorched the nets with seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 31 points, as Indiana continued its impressive play at home with a 105-95 triumph over the Houston Rockets. George got off to a good start, scoring 18 in the first quarter. He went on to finish with six rebounds, five steals and three assists as well in helping the Pacers to their 11th straight win at home. David West also impressed, tallying with 20 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. Roy Hibbert added 12 points, nine boards and four blocks while George Hill chipped in with 15 points in the victory. Following a five-game winning streak, the Rockets have been grounded. In dropping their sixth straight game, they committed 18 turnovers and gave up over 100 points for the fifth consecutive contest. Omer Asik notched a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds to go with three blocks. James Harden was held to 17 points on 5-of-19 shooting, but contributed seven assists, five rebounds and four blocks in the defeat.

Charlotte 106, Orlando 100

Kemba Walker poured in a game-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 106-100 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday at Amway Center. Gerald Henderson added 17 points while Hakim Warrick and Ramon Sessions finished with 15 points apiece for the Bobcats, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Jameer Nelson had 22 points, seven assists and five boards, Arron Afflalo scored 23 and Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who have dropped 12 of their last 14 contests.

Philadelphia 108, Toronto 101 (OT)

Jrue Holiday tied the game with 1.1 seconds left in regulation and scored 12 points in overtime, lifting the Philadelphia 76ers over the Toronto Raptors, 108-101, on Friday. Holiday ended with 33 points, 14 assists and three steals for the Sixers, who bounced back from a loss to the Hornets on Tuesday. Thaddeus Young added 27 points, 14 boards and three steals. Ed Davis had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Raptors, who have lost four in a row. Terrence Ross and Alan Anderson each donated 18 points.

Brooklyn 94, Atlanta 89

Deron Williams continued his amazing free throw shooting and the Brooklyn Nets got revenge for a loss earlier this week in Atlanta with a 94-89 triumph over the Hawks. Williams, who led the way with 24 points and seven assists, and went 7-of-7 at the charity stripe, has made 47 straight foul shots. Brook Lopez compiled 20 points and six rebounds, and he came up with a key block in the closing minute. Former Hawks player Joe Johnson scored 18 for the Nets, who have won seven straight home games. Reggie Evans had 20 rebounds for Brooklyn, which also snapped a six-game slide against the Hawks. The Nets, who lost at Atlanta, 109-95 on Wednesday, moved to 10-2 under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. That's the second-best start for a coach in franchise history. The Hawks, losers in seven of their last nine games, were led by Jeff Teague's 21 points and 10 assists. Devin Harris scored 17 in defeat.

Memphis 85, Sacramento 69

The scuffling Memphis Grizzlies got exactly what they needed, a home date with the Sacramento Kings. Mike Conley led five Memphis double-digit scorers with 19 points and the Grizzlies continued their home dominance of the Kings with an 85-69 victory. Memphis has won 14 of its last 17 against Sacramento at the FedEx Forum and avoided its longest losing streak in almost a year. The Grizzlies last lost four in a row from Jan. 24-30. Marc Gasol tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, Tony Allen filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine boards, six assists and three blocks, Rudy Gay netted 13 points and Marreese Speights finished with 10 points and nine boards in the triumph for Memphis. DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead Sacramento, which had an opportunity to match a season high with its third straight win.

San Antonio 95, Golden State 88

Tony Parker scored a game-high 25 points and Tim Duncan contributed a double-double as the San Antonio Spurs continued their domination of the Golden State Warriors with a 95-88 victory at AT&T Center on Friday. Parker had a pair of clutch scores down the stretch and led the team with eight assists as well. In their 29th consecutive victory over the Warriors at home, Duncan poured in 24 points to go with 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who notched a 14th straight victory at home overall. Tiago Splitter added 19 points and nine boards in the win. The Warriors haven't won in San Antonio since 1997 and have dropped 17 in a row to the Spurs overall. Without Stephen Curry for a second consecutive game, Jarrett Jack started in his place and finished with 20 points and 10 assists. David Lee finished with 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists and Klay Thompson scored 21 for the struggling Warriors, who have lost five of their last six games.

Washington 112, Denver 108

John Wall tallied 14 points and 12 assists in the Washington Wizards' 112-108 win over the Denver Nuggets. Ty Lawson had a chance to tie the game in the waning moments, but his right-handed driving layup was blocked by Wall, who left his defender to come over and make the swat. Bradley Beal netted 23 points to lead the Wizards, who snapped an eight-game road losing streak. Lawson finished with 29 points and six assists for Denver, which fell to 15-3 at home this season.