Curry, LeBron headline 2015 All-NBA First Team, featuring 3 first-timers

[cruzg24]

 
The NBA announced its 2014-15 All-NBA teams on Thursday, with newly minted Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James ranking as the lone unanimous selections to this year's top squad, receiving First Team bids on all 129 ballots cast by sportswriters and broadcasters this season.
 
[SIZE=15.0000009536743px]This is the ninth time in James' 12-year career that he's earned a First Team spot, tying him on the [/SIZE]all-time list[SIZE=15.0000009536743px] with Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Only [/SIZE]Kobe Bryant[SIZE=15.0000009536743px], Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, [/SIZE]Tim Duncan[SIZE=15.0000009536743px], Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor have more First Team appearances. It's the second straight All-NBA selection for Curry, but his first to the top team.[/SIZE]
Joining Curry and James on the First Team were MVP runner-up James Harden of the Houston Rockets (third All-NBA selection overall, second straight to the First Team); Memphis Grizzliescenter Marc Gasol (second All-NBA selection, first to the First Team); and New Orleans Pelicansphenom Anthony Davis, who makes his first appearance on any All-NBA squad, and becomes just the fifth player in league history to appear on the First Team during his age 21 season, joining LeBron, Rick Barry, Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant.
The Beard and the 'Brow were both very popular selections, as Harden received First Team votes on 125 of 129 ballots, while Davis appeared in the first five on 119 of the 129. Gasol, the Memphis All-Star who took a step forward on the offensive end early in the season before receding a bit as the campaign stretched on, received 65 of a possible 129 First Team votes to slot in at center and give the Grizzlies their first First Teamer in franchise history.
Here's how the Second and Third Teams shook out:
Second Team>
• F/C: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers (13 First Team votes, third All-NBA selection)
• C/F: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings (18 First Team votes, first All-NBA selection)
• C: Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls (15 First Team votes, fourth All-NBA selection)
• G: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (10 First Team votes, fourth All-NBA selection
• Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers (one First Team vote, seventh All-NBA selection)
Third Team
• F: Blake Griffin, Clippers (two First Team votes, fourth All-NBA selection)
• F/C: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (six First Team votes, 15th All-NBA selection, tying Kobe and Kareem for most all-time)
• C: DeAndre Jordan, Clippers (12 First Team votes, first All-NBA selection)
• G: Klay Thompson, Warriors (no First Team votes, first All-NBA selection)
• G: Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers (no First Team votes, first All-NBA selection)
As is always the case, the voting results were met in some quarters with criticism.
Why isn't Westbrook on the First Team? (Seems awful tough to knock either Curry or Harden off ... then again, let's not forget what Westbrook did over the last few months of the season.) No spot forDefensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard? No love for Most Improved Player Jimmy Butler?
What about DPoY and MIP runner-up Draymond Green, arguably the title-favorite Warriors' most important player beside Curry? No members of the Atlanta Hawks, despite a franchise-record 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the East? And, hey, wait a second, where's John Wall? Didn't he start his second straight All-Star Game, serve as arguably the second or third best player in the East this season, and tear up the playoffs to the tune of a postseason-topping 28.4 points created by assist per game?
Well, they all received All-NBA votes and "award points" — five points for a First Team vote, three for a Second Team vote, one for a Third Team vote. Leonard actually received more points (155) than either Thompson (122) or Irving (112), but because the teams require voters to pick two forwards, two guards and a center — and because Kawhi can't claim hybrid forward/guard status after spending just 1 percent of his floor time at the two for San Antonio this year, according to Basketball-Reference.com's play-by-play data — he comes up short.
 

 

 

[jonathanlambert33]

More Southwest Conference Players than guys from the East lol

 

[Pugz]

even the third team is scary good.

 

[elcheato]

And 66% of those East players are from the Cavs

 

[Mexi]

Deandre nah

 

[CameronCrazy06]

You can make an argument

 

[Mexi]

Sure
But he shouldnt be there

This whole thing is dumb
All they had to do is put duncan at center and add wall. Ta da