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Yao edges Kobe to top All-Star list
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-03 09:38
Yao Ming edged Kobe Bryant as the top votegetter in fan balloting for the
55th NBA All-Star game Thursday, and Shaquille O'Neal became the fifth player in
league history to earn 13 consecutive selections for the midseason showcase.
Houston Rockets'
Yao Ming (11), of China, holds up the ball high after catching an inbound
pass over Milwaukee Bucks' Jiri Welsch, of the Czech Republic, during the
fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006, in
Houston. The Rockets won 86-84. [AP] | Yao and
Tracy McGrady give the host Houston Rockets two starters in the Feb. 19 game.
They were joined on the Western Conference squad by Bryant, San Antonio's Tim
Duncan and reigning MVP Steve Nash of Phoenix — who will be a first-time
All-Star starter.
Cleveland's LeBron James was the top Eastern Conference votegetter, edging
O'Neal by 15,155 votes. It's the second straight All-Star trip for James, who
says he's still drawing motivation from being snubbed during his rookie season.
"What happened two years ago, that really motivated me to come out and play
even harder," James said.
Added Cleveland coach Mike Brown: "It's an honor to be around him, it's an
honor to work with him and I'm excited for him and his family because he
definitely deserves it."
Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and first-time
All-Star starter Dwyane Wade of Miami rounded out the East's starting five.
"Hopefully, I can become a staple, like my teammate Shaq," Wade said. "I'm
grateful that NBA fans think so highly of my game."
Jermaine O'Neal will miss the game with an injury; Detroit's Rasheed Wallace
finished third in the voting among East forwards, meaning he'll likely be a
strong candidate for that starting spot. But no Pistons were voted into the
starting lineup, despite the team's 38-6 record — the NBA's best by a wide
margin.
Yao edged Bryant by 71,107 votes for the top overall spot in the balloting,
despite missing 21 games following surgery to clean out an infection in his left
big toe. It's the fourth All-Star trip for the 7-foot-6 center from China and
the eighth for Bryant, who leads the NBA in scoring and had an 81-point effort —
the second-biggest night in NBA history — last month in the Los Angeles Lakers'
win over Toronto.
Yao finished with 2,342,738 votes; Bryant had 2,271,631 in the closest finish
among the top two players in All-Star balloting since Vince Carter, then of
Toronto, edged Miami's Alonzo Mourning by 33,385 votes in 2000.
"It's every player's personal goal, to make the All-Star
team," McGrady said. "It's a personal accomplishment guys want to make to get a
chance to participate against the elite players. Every player in this league
wants to be there."
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