No Celtics Players Named To All-NBA Teams
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NBA released their All-NBA Teams on Thursday, and Celtics fans probably won't be too pleased with the voting.
The Celtics won 55 games during the regular season and are now one win away from the NBA Finals, but no Boston player was named to the first-, second- or third-team. Here are the players who received those honors on Thursday:
First Team: James Harden (Houston), Damian Lillard (Portland), LeBron James (Cleveland), Kevin Durant (Golden State), Anthony Davis (New Orleans)
Second Team: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio)
Third Team: Stephen Curry (Golden State), Victor Oladipo (Indiana), Jimmy Butler (Minnesota), Paul George (Oklahoma City), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota)
Harden and James were both unanimous first-team selections, and deservedly so. As for who else received votes, a pair of Celtics were at least considered by voters:
Chris Paul (Houston), 54; Rudy Gobert (Utah), 51; Kyrie Irving (Boston), 42; Ben Simmons (Philadelphia), 36; Al Horford (Boston), 32; Nikola Jokic (Denver), 28; Andre Drummond (Detroit), 7; Clint Capela (Houston), 6; Draymond Green (Golden State), 6; Kyle Lowry (Toronto), 3; Steven Adams (Oklahoma City), 2; Donovan Mitchell (Utah), 2; Klay Thompson (Golden State), 2; Trevor Ariza (Houston), 1; DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans), 1; Dwight Howard (Charlotte), 1; Kevin Love (Cleveland), 1; Kristaps Porzingis (New York), 1
Irving was heading toward an all-team nod, but his late-season injury likely derailed any chances. And while it would have been nice if Horford could have snuck his way onto the third team, especially after getting just a defensive second-team nod on Wednesday, the Celtics aren't going to lose sleep on this minor slight. Boston's season has always centered on a team-first approach, and that isn't going to change this award season (though Marcus Smart didn't sound pleased about his all-defensive team snub on Wednesday night).
The real outrage should be over whoever gave Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza a vote. Those have to be accidental votes, or some sort of sick, tasteless jokes.
Celtics fans angry at the voting can hang their hats (or custom-made Yabusele jerseys) on this: The Celtics beat two second-teamers in the playoffs and are a win away from eliminating a unanimous first-teamer. Boston doesn't need any all-NBA team recognition to know they've had a fantastic season.
