Among the five of them, the Celtics' starting lineup has a whopping 46 NBA All-Star selections to their names. Now, it looks like we'll soon see a few more.
All five C's starters have put forth a strong showing in the league's first All-Star fan voting returns, released early Thursday afternoon. Kevin Garnett ranks second in votes among Eastern Conference forwards, at 456,111; he trails only Miami's LeBron James, at 607,994. Garnett and James would start for the East if the voting ended today.
Also on pace for a starting spot is Rajon Rondo — with 497,141 votes, he trails only the 570,489 of the Heat's Dwyane Wade.
The Celtics' other three starters aren't far off the pace. Paul Pierce (235,107 votes) is fourth among Eastern Conference forwards, Ray Allen (235,977) is fourth among guards, and Shaquille O'Neal (241,782) is second among centers. O'Neal trails only Orlando center Dwight Howard, who leads all Eastern Conference players with 611,561 votes.
All five Celtics have a shot at starting for the East this season, and those who don't have a strong case to be named reserves. The C's will be well-represented when the NBA's best take the floor on Feb. 20, 2011 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
