All-Star Starters Revealed

The game entered the fourth quarter. Tyronn Lue put the three stars on the court for maximum minutes, starting with the original lineup.

The Thunder, on the other hand, were led by Chen Xi and Butler, with Westbrook still resting on the bench.

James went all out from the start, repeatedly attacking the paint and drawing fouls, showing his determination to close the score gap.

After Butler was called for two consecutive fouls, he no longer dared to engage in high-intensity physical play, which further increased the threat of James's drives.

However, fortunately, Chen Xi and Little Sabonis hit two consecutive three-pointers to maintain the score.

Time ticked away, but the score didn't get any closer, and the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Cavaliers.

James brought the ball to the top of the arc, took a deep breath, and finally stopped charging into the paint, opting for a pull-up three-pointer instead.

Swish~~

"A three-pointer from James! Great shot!! This is the adjustment ability of a superstar! Even if he was cold all game, he can still find his shot in the most crucial moments."

On the way back on defense, he found another opportunity to steal Payne's pass, rushed back to the frontcourt, and hit a pull-up three-pointer off the glass.

"Six points in a row!!!! LeBron James!!!!! The Cavaliers haven't given up, James hasn't given up!!!"

"Holy crap, this old man is about to get on a roll." Chen Xi saw that things were not looking good.

On the next possession, he quickly went to receive the ball and faced Shump, a defensive guard with excellent athleticism. After a hesitation dribble, he chose to pull up.

"Another three-pointer! Chris Chen, steadying the situation once again! He doesn't intend to let the Cavaliers easily bring back the suspense!"

In the next possession, taking advantage of Chen Xi's foul on Shump, Donovan subbed Westbrook back onto the court, prioritizing stability.

With Westbrook back, the Thunder's offense had a stable guarantee. With Irving unable to find his rhythm, even with James's shooting touch returning, it was all in vain.

The final score was 130 to 117, with the Thunder defeating the Cavaliers by a large margin.

Chen Xi shot 11 of 21 from the field, 6 of 13 from three-point range, and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line, scoring 31 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Westbrook had 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists, while Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The Thunder's three stars combined for 80 points.

On the Cavaliers' side, James shot 15 of 26 from the field, 2 of 5 from three-point range, and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line, scoring 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. Irving had 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Love had 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The three of them combined for 77 points.

LeBron, who had unfortunately lost the game, was clearly in a bad mood and quickly walked back to the locker room. Irving, on the other hand, came over to have a brief chat with Chen Xi, expressing his praise for his outstanding performance and exchanging contact information. Similarly, Love, as a college teammate, also came over to catch up with Westbrook.

After a brief post-game interview, Chen Xi returned to the locker room and saw his teammates looking disgruntled. He was a bit confused and, upon inquiring, learned that the results for the All-Star starters had been released, and Westbrook had been left out.

"What the hell?? He can be left out of this???"

Chen Xi looked at the list handed to him by his teammate, feeling speechless.

The Eastern Conference starters were Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan, LeBron James, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Western Conference starters were Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis.

As Westbrook's main competitor, Curry, despite a slight dip in performance, was still averaging 24.6 points and 6.1 assists per game, with the Warriors holding the top spot in the league standings. Curry ultimately made it to the All-Star game for the fourth consecutive year and the fourth time in his career. In the fan vote, Curry received 1,848,121 votes, ranking first in the Western Conference backcourt. In the media vote, he ranked third with only 6 votes. In the player vote, he ranked third with 63 votes.

Harden was averaging 28.9 points, 11.6 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, with 13 triple-doubles, including four 40-point triple-doubles. Coupled with the Rockets' third-place standing in the Western Conference, Harden made it to the All-Star game for the fifth consecutive year, marking his third start. Harden received 1,771,375 votes in the fan vote, 91 votes in the media vote, and 149 votes in the player vote, all ranking second in the Western Conference backcourt.

Looking only at the stats, there didn't seem to be any issues. However, when Westbrook's stats were presented, the controversy immediately arose: he was averaging 30.6 points, 10.4 assists, and 10.6 rebounds per game this season. In the fan vote, Westbrook ranked third in the Western Conference backcourt with 1,575,865 votes. In the player vote, he ranked first with 167 votes, and in the media vote, he also ranked first with 93 votes. A comparison clearly showed the problem.

Whether it was the stats or the player and media votes, he was ahead of Curry. Unfortunately, he lost due to the fan popularity vote.

According to the NBA's calculation method, the final ranking is not related to the number of votes received but only to the player's ranking in the three voting categories. Taking the starting guard competition between Curry, Harden, and Westbrook as an example. Curry ranked first in the fan vote, and third in both the player and media votes. His composite score was 2 (calculated as (1+1+3+3)/4). Similarly, Harden and Westbrook also calculated to 2, tying them.

At this point, the fan vote count played a decisive role, and the person with the higher number of fan votes would win.

Chen Xi glanced at Westbrook, whose dissatisfaction was evident on his face, and sighed.

"It's okay, Russell. It's just an All-Star starting spot, no big deal. Let's work harder and win the MVP this year, and then this starting lineup will become a joke."

"Don't worry, although I'm unhappy, I can accept it. With the team's record this year and having teammates like you, I'm very content." After calming down for a moment, Turtle Turtle regained his composure, his eyes burning with fire.

"By the end of this season, we will definitely get back the respect we deserve!!!!"

It is worth mentioning that Butler was also a victim. He should have been in the Eastern Conference and was fully qualified to be an All-Star starter. However, he moved to the more competitive Western Conference, and his stats declined due to the team's system and tactical position, which resulted in him missing out on this year's All-Star starting lineup.

With a collective chip on their shoulders, the players boarded the private jet to San Antonio. Their second opponent in a grueling back-to-back set was the Spurs, who had stood at the pinnacle of the Western Conference for decades. Fortunately, it wasn't a back-to-back game, so the Thunder had a day to rest.

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