The ten best people in the NBA? This time, the all-stars do not talk about feelings, but only recognize strength

On January 27, Beijing time, the NBA officially announced the All-Star starting lineup, and through the joint voting of fans, media and players, the final ten-person list is as follows:

East: Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Jason Tatum, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo

West: Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic

A closer look at this list reveals that while there may still be regrets, the starting lineup in the East and West is still the ten best performers and most capable players this season, or the ten "most playable" players in the league today.

Why don't the all-stars talk about feelings this time, only recognize strength?

NBA All-Stars have always been a carnival party used by the league to give back to fans, so for a long time, the "decision" was given to the fans, so it was inevitable that there would be some examples of "feelings" > "strength". For example, Yao Ming in the rookie season, Kobe Bryant in the last season of his career, excluding emotional factors, their selection is indeed unfair to other players who perform better.

However, starting in 2017, the NBA adjusted the All-Star voting rules, and All-Star starters are no longer entirely decided by fans, but have increased the participation of the media and players, and although the fan voting results are still dominant (50%), the media and players also have 25% of the decision.

Such adjustments have achieved obvious results, taking 2019 as an example, Luka Doncic, Derek Rose and Dwayne Wade, who had the upper hand in the fan voting stage, were successfully counterattacked by James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kemba Walker after the results of the mixed media and player votes.

However, just the reform of the voting mechanism can not completely eliminate the impact of the "feelings" factor on the results of the All-Star starting selection, after all, the fan vote still occupies an absolute advantage, such as the Warriors, Lakers and other top team players, still blessed, so there will be Kevin Looney, Austin Reeves and other players, can be in the top ten of the division in their respective positions in the fan voting process, even if the comprehensive media and player vote, the ranking will still be higher than many privileged players on the side of the division.

And players like Daron Fox, Sabonis Jr., Tyrese Halliburton, Julius Randall, who have convincing personal data and team records, can only be on the list, and Bam Adebayo, who averaged 21.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season, can't even see the shadow, so he complained: "Some people shouldn't be on this list at all."

There is another important reason why the ten starters who were finally determined by this year's All-Star voting happen to be the "ten most capable players" in the NBA this season. Even those veterans who have the emotional advantage are themselves particularly contentious, and they still maintain an incredibly good form in the inherent perception of what should have been a sharp decline due to age or injury status - LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, all of them.

Obviously you can rely on popularity, but you have to fight for strength, you say angry people?

Why are these the ten best people in the NBA?

Since the ancient text has no first and no second, ranking NBA players and evaluating honors has never been recognized by everyone. Coupled with the limited number of All-Star slots, it is inevitable that there will be a legacy like Joel Embiid.

But as Jason Tatum said when the results of the first phase of the fan vote came out — when he finished fourth in the Eastern Conference frontcourt, behind Durant, Alphabet and Embiid — "All four of us are averaging 30+ points per game and are considered strong contenders for MVP." So I knew I had to beat one of them [to get into the All-Star start]. ”

Therefore, although Embiid's defeat is slightly regrettable, the other three were selected, and they are all convincing.

Tatum has continued to improve in his sixth year in the league, averaging 31 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season, leading the Celtics to a long time in the league and missing only three games to date, making him a strong contender for regular-season MVP and rightfully occupying an All-Star starting spot.

Durant was originally one of the strongest representatives of the league in the hearts of his peers, and after a serious injury, Phoenix Nirvana showed a more comprehensive ability in organization and defense than before the injury. He averaged 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game this season, shooting a terrifying 67.3% from the field (a career high), and even if he missed the past two weeks due to injury, as long as he returns in time, there is still enough reason to be on the All-Star starting roster.

Alphabet Brother was a little aesthetically fatigued by consecutive MVPs and NBA championships, plus this season's rotation from time to time, which somewhat lowered some impression points. But in fact, he averaged 31 points per game is a career high, in addition to 12 rebounds and 5.3 assists, and the Bucks are in the top three in the East with 31-17 in only 9 games played by second-in-command Middleton, no matter how you look at it, Alphabet Brother is eligible to compete for MVP, let alone an All-Star starter.

The backfield in the East may be more controversial than the front. For example, since Jaylen Brown is classified as the number two, is the second in command of the team with the best record in the league also worthy of a starting seat? For example, Haliburton and James Harden, as the only two guards in the league to score 20+10 points and assists this season, have helped the team achieve a good record, are they also eligible to compete for the Eastern Conference starting qualification?

But here's the point: The two defenders selected to start Eastern Conference, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell, also deserve the honour.

Mitchell played the best performance of his career after joining the Cavaliers, averaging 28.3 points, 4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 48.1%, 39.6% and 86.9% from the field from three-point range, respectively.

As for Irving, the inexplicable "anti-Semitic" incident at the beginning of the season did lose its fans, and he struggled a little in the first two games of Durant's injury, but then proved himself with a near-perfect performance in the two games against the Jazz and Warriors. In the 36 games he has played in this season, Irving has averaged 26.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, in addition to 1 steal and 0.8 blocks (second only to Alexander and Derrick White among backcourt players), and the overall contribution on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, coupled with the strong rebound after the Nets' change of coach (which almost happened to be Irving's release), proved his strength.

If the starting five in the East are still a little controversial, Curry, Doncic, James, Zion and Jokic in the West are basically the strongest representatives. If you have to pick a prick, you can only show diligence and say things.

Doncic has played phenomenal this season, averaging 33.8 points (first in the league), 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game, opening the season with 9 consecutive 30+ games, and an unprecedented 60+20+10, any of which is enough to make him an All-Star starter. Or it should be said that Doncic's performance in the first half of the season, no matter which season in history, he will be selected as an All-Star starter.

Jokic averaged 25.1 points, 11 rebounds and 9.9 assists this season and is likely to become the third player to post a season triple-double after Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Although he deliberately cut his individual shots because of the return of Murray and Porter, he still played an amazing performance of 40+27+10, 41+15+15. Coupled with the fact that the Nuggets are currently ranked first in the West, there has been discussion about whether Jokic will achieve the MVP trifecta that even Jordan and James have not achieved.

Zion trailed in the third stage of the fan vote, but came out on top in the final moments, which is also a testament to his excellent performance this season. Despite his career plagued by injuries, healthy Zion is undoubtedly the most dominant rising star in the league, averaging 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season while shooting 60.8 percent from the field, leading the Pelicans to the first place in the division before the injury. Zion is less influential on the defensive end than Bushy, but the offense is more destructive, the team's results are more overwhelming, and it is convincing to be the starting power forward in the West. The latest news shows that Zion is expected to return in two weeks, so it is speculated that he should be in time to play All-Star.

Curry has also been plagued by injuries this season, at one point with 11 consecutive breaks, and the Warriors' overall performance has struggled slightly. But when Curry was healthy, his performance was impeccable — averaging 29.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 4.9 three-point shooting, and a true shooting percentage of 65.5 percent, even compared to his peak season. Although young guards such as Morant, Alexander, and Fox have also performed well, to say that they are stronger than Curry, I am afraid that most people disagree.

The last position must be left to "court living fossil" LeBron James. In NBA history, there are very few players who can play until the 20th season, and there are even fewer who can play a core role in the 20th season, and in the 20th season of his career, there is only one who can average 20+ points per game. This season, James averaged 29.9 points per game, just 0.1 points away from 30+. In fact, before he "scored" 20 points against the Spurs yesterday, he was already averaging 30+ points per game. On top of that, he scored 8.5 points and seven assists per game, averaging 3.1 turnovers per game, his lowest performance since 2012-13.

For James, there are no more praises, and there is only one comment that suits him best at the moment: If James is not an All-Star starter, then everyone else does not deserve to start.