If the NBA All-Star Game was Thursday, the Boston Celtics would have multiple representatives for the first time since 2013.
The league has released its first returns for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, and two Celtics are on the Eastern Conference list: point guard Isaiah Thomas (193,297 votes; fourth-most) and shooting guard Avery Bradley (32,822 votes; 10th-most).
LeBron/Kyrie and KD/Curry lead first returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by @Verizon!
Vote: https://t.co/7SYpaqHa1f & NBA App. pic.twitter.com/ofvgaJERkT
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 5, 2017
Thomas leads the Eastern Conference in scoring (27.8 points per game), ranks seventh in assists (6.4 per game) and boasts the East’s second-best player efficiency rating (27.2) as of Thursday. Yet the 5-foot-9 guard still trails Kyrie Irving, Dwyane Wade and DeMar DeRozan by a considerable margin, as the third-place DeRozan leads Thomas by more than 60,000 votes.
Bradley, meanwhile, is putting up career numbers in the hope of making his first NBA All-Star team. The seventh-year veteran is averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game, is shooting 48 percent from the floor and leads the Celtics in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game.
One notable Celtic who didn’t make the cut is four-time All-Star Al Horford. Boston’s newest acquisition has played well of late but missed 10 games earlier this season due to a concussion. Horford would have to pass Hassan Whiteside (72,628 votes; ninth) or Jabari Parker (64,141; 10th) to earn a spot in the 2017 All-Star Game, which is set for Feb. 19 in New Orleans.
Voting doesn’t close until Jan. 16, though, and fans can vote for a player on Twitter using the hashtag #NBAVote and the player’s full name and/or Twitter handle.
2017 #NBAAllStar Starters Announced: 1/19/2017
2017 #NBAAllStar Reserves Announced: 1/26/207
2017 #NBAAllStar Game: 2/19/2017
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 5, 2017
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
