NBA en Directo: Elegidas las reservas del NBA All-Star Game 2016 en Toronto; Lue y Popovich serán los dirigentes

STING TO HEADLINE NBA ALL-STAR 2016 HALFTIME SHOW

– Cirque du Soleil to Tip Off Pregame Festivities with Basketball-Inspired Performance –

 The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 16-time Grammy^® Award-winning musician Sting will headline the 65^th NBA All-Star Game halftime show Sunday, Feb. 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. All-Star Game coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT, the game and all performances will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in 40 languages.

Sting, the former frontman of The Police, will perform a compilation of his most celebrated hits during halftime for fans around the world to enjoy.  His iconic career includes classics like “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne” and “Fields Of Gold.”  This summer, Sting will join fellow British artist Peter Gabriel for their recently announced “Rock Paper Scissors” tour across North America (for further information, please visit: www.sting.com).

Prior to the start of the game, Cirque du Soleil will tip off the evening with a captivating performance blending together acrobatics, dance and technology illustrating the story of a basketball dream. The performance will culminate with the introduction of the 2016 NBA All-Stars. 

With HARMAN serving as the Official Sound of the NBA, its featured brand, JBL, will serve as presenter of this year’s NBA All-Star “Entertainment Series presented by JBL.”

WARRIORS’ GREEN AND THOMPSON HEADLINE RESERVES
FOR 2016 NBA ALL-STAR GAME

-- Pistons’ Drummond and Celtics’ Thomas Join Green as First-Time Selections --

-- Heat’s Bosh Earns 11^th Straight Nod; Clippers’ Paul Honored for Ninth Year in a Row --

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors headline the list of 14 players selected by the NBA’s head coaches as reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.  Green, a first-time selection, and Thompson, an All-Star for the second year in a row, 

join Western Conference starter Stephen Curry of Golden State to give the NBA-leading Warriors (42-4) three All-Stars for the first time since the 1975-76 season. 

The 65^th NBA All-Star Game will be televised by TNT at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 from Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the first All-Star Game held outside the U.S.  The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages.  

TNT will air the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14^th straight year, marking Turner Sports’ 31^st year of NBA All-Star coverage.  Sportsnet ONE and TSN will simulcast the All-Star Game in Canada.

Along with Green and Thompson, the other West reserves are LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), 

Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), James Harden (Houston Rockets) and Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers). 

The Eastern Conference reserves are Chris Bosh (Miami Heat), Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks), Isaiah Thomas (Boston Celtics) and John Wall (Washington Wizards).

Curry, Green and Thompson comprise the Warriors’ first trio of All-Stars since Rick Barry, Phil Smith and Jamaal Wilkes 40 years ago.  

Green (14.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 7.2 apg) leads the NBA in triple-doubles with eight, while Thompson (20.9 ppg) ranks second in three-pointers made with 140.  Also for the West:

·  Aldridge, in his first season with the Spurs (39-7), earns his fifth consecutive All-Star nod. 

·  Cousins, the only NBA player ranked in the top five in scoring (27.3 ppg) and rebounding (11.3 rpg), is an All-Star for the second straight season. 

·  Davis makes his third All-Star team in a row.  He is the only NBA player averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.

·   Harden, the NBA’s second-leading scorer (27.5 ppg), is making his fourth consecutive trip to the All-Star Game since joining the Rockets in 2012.

·   Paul has been chosen as an All-Star for the ninth straight year.  He owns the highest assist average in All-Star Game history (12.9 apg).

In the East, Drummond and Thomas have been named All-Stars for the first time.  
Drummond, who leads the NBA in rebounding (15.2 rpg) and double-doubles (38), is Detroit’s first All-Star selection since Allen Iverson in the 2008-09 season.  
Thomas, the 60^th and final pick of NBA Draft 2011, is averaging career highs of 21.6 points (12^th in the NBA) and 6.6 assists (ninth in the NBA).

Also for the East:       

·   Bosh, who spent his first seven seasons in Toronto, earns his 11^th consecutive All-Star selection.  Among active players, only Kobe Bryant (18 selections in a row), LeBron James (12) and Miami teammate Dwyane Wade (12) have longer current streaks.

·   Butler, who is averaging a career-high 22.3 points (11^th in the NBA), makes his second straight All-Star appearance.

·   DeRozan, who is averaging a career-high 23.0 points (ninth in the NBA) and leads the league in points on drives, is an All-Star for the second time.  DeRozan and Toronto teammate Kyle Lowry, an East starter, are set to become the first starting backcourt to play in the All-Star Game in their home city since the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in 1972.

·   Millsap is making his third consecutive trip to the All-Star Game since joining the Hawks in 2013. He is scoring a career-high 18.3 points per game in his 10^th season.

·   Wall, the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December, is an All-Star for the third year in a row.

The 14 reserves were chosen by the 30 NBA head coaches, 
who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences -- two guards, three frontcourt players and two additional players at any position.  
They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

The starters in both conferences were selected through NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon. 
The East starters are Dwyane Wade (Heat), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Paul George (Indiana Pacers) and Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks). 
The West starters are Stephen Curry (Warriors), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Spurs).

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select the replacement for any player unable to participate in the All-Star Game.  I
f the injured player is a starter, the head coach of that team will determine the replacement in the starting lineup.   

The Spurs’ Gregg Popovich and his staff will coach the West All-Stars, while the Cavaliers’ Tyronn Lue and his staff will lead the East All-Stars

NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game.  
Along with the NBA All-Star Game, Air Canada Centre will also host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, 
Feb. 12 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 13.  
Other events at NBA All-Star 2016 include the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire.

The East and West rosters for the 65^th NBA All-Star Game are below:

2016 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

                                                                                               

No.    Player (Team)                         Pos.   Ht.       Wt.       Birthdate       Prior to NBA                 All-Star Selections

7       *Carmelo Anthony (New York)   F       6-8        240       05/29/84         Syracuse                                    9

1       Chris Bosh (Miami)                  F       6-11      235       03/24/84         Georgia Tech                              11

21      Jimmy Butler (Chicago)            G       6-7        220       09/14/89         Marquette                                   2

10      DeMar DeRozan (Toronto)         G       6-7        220       08/07/89         Southern Cal                              2

0       #Andre Drummond (Detroit)       C       6-11      279       08/10/93         Connecticut                                1

13      *Paul George (Indiana)              F       6-9        220       05/02/90         Fresno State                               3

23      *LeBron James (Cleveland)        F       6-8        250       12/30/84         St. Vincent/St. Mary HS              12

7       *Kyle Lowry (Toronto)             G       6-0        205       03/25/86         Villanova                                   2

4       Paul Millsap (Atlanta)               F       6-8        246       02/10/85         Louisiana Tech                           3

4       #Isaiah Thomas (Boston)           G       5-9        185       02/07/89         Washington                                1

3       *Dwyane Wade (Miami)            G       6-4        220       01/17/82         Marquette                                   12

2       John Wall (Washington)            G       6-4        195       09/06/90         Kentucky                                   3

Head Coach: Tyronn Lue (Nebraska)

Assistant Coaches: Jim Boylan (Marquette); Bret Brielmaier (Arizona); Larry Drew (Missouri); James Posey (Xavier); Phil Handy (Hawaii), Mike Longabardi (Frostburg State)

Athletic Trainers: Scott McCullough and Ray Chow (Toronto Raptors)

2016 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

                                                                         

No.    Player (Team)                         Pos.   Ht.       Wt.       Birthdate       Prior to NBA                All-Star Selections

12      LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio) F       6-11      240       07/19/85         Texas                                        5

24      *Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)       F       6-6        212       08/23/78         Lower Merion HS                        18

15      DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento)    C       6-11      270       08/13/90         Kentucky                                   2

30      *Stephen Curry (Golden State)    G       6-3        190       03/14/88         Davidson                                   3

23      Anthony Davis (New Orleans)     F       6-10      253       03/11/93         Kentucky                                   3

35      *Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City)  F       6-9        240       09/29/88         Texas                                        7

23      #Draymond Green (Golden State)  F       6-7        230       03/04/90         Michigan State                            1

13      James Harden (Houston)            G       6-5        220       08/26/89         Arizona State                              4

2       *#Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio)   F       6-7        230       06/29/91         San Diego State                          1

3       Chris Paul (L.A. Clippers)         G       6-0        175       05/06/85         Wake Forest                               9

11      Klay Thompson (Golden State)   G       6-7        215       02/08/90         Washington State                        2

0       *Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City)    G       6-3        200       11/12/88         UCLA                                       5

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich (Air Force Academy)

Assistant Coaches: Ime Udoka (Portland State); Chip Engelland (Duke); Chad Forcier (Seattle Pacific); Ettore Messina (Italy); James Borrego (San Diego); Becky Hammon (Colorado State)

Athletic Trainer: Will Sevening and Paul West (San Antonio Spurs)

*denotes starter

#denotes first-time selection

SAN ANTONIO’S GREGG POPOVICH EARNS SPOT AS WESTERN CONFERENCE HEAD COACH FOR 2016 NBA ALL-STAR GAME

  

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will coach the Western Conference All-Stars in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, to be televised by TNT at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 from Air Canada Centre in Toronto. 

Head coaches whose teams have the best records in each conference following the games played two weeks prior to the All-Star Game serve as the All-Star Game head coaches, but no head coach is allowed to participate in two consecutive All-Star Games.  

Interim head coach Luke Walton led the Golden State Warriors to a 39-4 record in the season’s first 43 games prior to the Jan. 22 return of head coach Steve Kerr.   Despite Golden State holding the conference’s best record (41-4, .911), Kerr is ineligible for the coaching honor because he led last year’s West All-Stars.  Popovich’s Spurs (38-7, .844) have clinched the next best record in the Western Conference, earning the five-time NBA Champion his fourth nod as the head coach of the West.

The 65^th NBA All-Star Game will be the first All-Star Game held outside of the U.S.  The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14^th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 31^st year of NBA All-Star coverage.

CLEVELAND’S TYRONN LUE EARNS SPOT AS EASTERN CONFERENCE HEAD COACH FOR 2016 NBA ALL-STAR GAME

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue and his staff will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, to be televised by TNT at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 from Air Canada Centre in Toronto. 

The Cavaliers (32-12, .727) clinched the best record in the conference through games played on Sunday, Jan. 31, by virtue of their 115-93 win over the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 27. 

The 65^th NBA All-Star Game will be the first All-Star Game held outside of the U.S.  The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14^th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 31^st year of NBA All-Star coverage.