This time Joe Johnson will go to the NBA’s All-Star game without a Hawks teammate.
Eastern Conference coaches voted Johnson to his sixth consecutive All-Star team. But the other Hawks candidate, power forward Josh Smith, wasn’t among the seven reserves selected for the Feb. 26 showcase game in Orlando.
Johnson and center Al Horford were selected for the past two All-Star games, but Horford has been out since suffering a pectoral injury Jan. 11. Smith has produced more while taking on more defensive responsibilities and has even played some minutes at center since Jason Collins suffered an elbow injury last week.
But it wasn’t enough for an All-Star berth for Smith, who also believed he was snubbed the past two seasons. Soon after the reserves were announced, media, fans, and other NBA players took to Twitter to lament Smith’s exclusion.
Hawks forward Tracy McGrady offered his support for Smith in a Twitter post.
“Real upset that my man JSmoove got snubbed for the AllStar game!” McGrady wrote, referring to Smith by his nickname. “Josh Smith is one of the best forwards n the East and deserves to be there!”
All four analysts on the “NBA on TNT” studio show included Smith on their list of All-Stars.
“Josh Smith deserved to make the All-Star team [because] he’s been the best player on the Atlanta Hawks this year,” Charles Barkley said on the air.
“He should have made it because if you take him off that Hawks team, they don’t win,” studio analyst Kenny Smith said. “Both of those guys [Johnson and Smith] should have been on that team.”
Johnson has been an All-Star in every season after his first in with the Hawks.
“Im Blessed to have the opportunity to play in my 6th AllStar game,” Johnson wrote on his Twitter page. “It never gets old.”
Coaches voted for two guards, two forwards, one center/power forward and two “wild card” slots for players of any position. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
In addition to Johnson, the East reserves are guard Deron Williams (New Jersey), center Roy Hibbert (Indiana) and forwards Paul Pierce (Boston), Chris Bosh (Miami), Luol Deng (Chicago) and Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia).
The East starters, as voted by fans, were announced last week. They are guards Derrick Rose (Chicago) and Dwyane Wade (Miami), forwards Carmelo Anthony (New York) and LeBron James (Miami) and center Dwight Howard (Orlando).
The West reserves are guards Steve Nash (Phoenix), Tony Parker (San Antonio), and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City); forwards LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland), Kevin Love (Minnesota) and Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas); and center Marc Gasol (Memphis).
The West starters are guards Chris Paul (Clippers) and Kobe Bryant (Lakers), forwards Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) and Blake Griffin (Clippers) and center Andrew Bynum (Lakers).
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