Johnson picked to third straight All-Star game

After three weeks filled with losses, shooting slumps and uncharacteristic play, Hawks captain Joe Johnson got a positive jolt Thursday when he was picked as one of seven reserves for the Eastern Conference in next month’s NBA All-Star game.

“It’s a huge accomplishment and honor,” Johnson said. “And not only for me, but for the entire organization. It’s a tribute to my teammates and the coaching staff, because without them it’s not even possible.”

It’s Johnson’s third straight All-Star nod. He’ll represent the Hawks during All-Star Weekend festivities in Phoenix on Feb. 13-15, making a triumphant return to the city he left four years ago to join the Hawks’ rebuilding effort.

Blasted by local fans and the media for spurning the Suns’ offer as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2005, Johnson was cast as a villain for leaving a championship-caliber team.

Johnson has since helped guide the Hawks to the franchise’s first playoff berth in nearly a decade last season, and has led them to a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference standings (26-19) this season.

“For all the great players that have come through this league, just to make it once is an accomplishment,” Hawks point guard Mike Bibby said. “For Joe to make it three years in a row is something special. And I absolutely expected him to be on that team.”

Johnson and the Hawks have struggled this month, losing eight of their past 12 games while Johnson’s scoring average has dipped nearly eight points since December.

But that didn’t sway the Eastern Conference coaches, who are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Johnson still leads the Hawks with 21.6 points, 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds.

“I think it’s great for not only Joe, but our entire organization,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “And he’s put himself in this position because of how he’s performed individually as well as how we’ve performed as a team. I don’t see how he could not have been on the All-Star team with all he’s done.”

Johnson is the first Hawks player since Dominique Wilkins in 1994 to be chosen for three consecutive All-Star Games.