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NEW YORK, USA – Cleveland’s LeBron James and Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who could oppose each other in next month’s NBA Finals, were unanimous selections to the All-NBA First Team roster announced Thursday, May 21.
Voting by a North American media panel gave James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and Curry, this season’s NBA Most Valuable Player for the league-leading Warriors, the maximum 645 votes from all 129 ballots to the select squad.
James was in the All-NBA lineup for the ninth time, two shy of the all-time record shared by Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, while Curry received his first such nod after sparking Golden State to a club-record 67 wins.
James and the Cavaliers lead Atlanta 1-0 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals while Curry and Golden State own the same playoff edge over Houston in the Western Conference finals.
Joining them on the first team were Houston’s James Harden, Anthony Davis of New Orleans and Spanish big man Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Harden was on the First Team for the second year in a row, missing unanimous selection by only four votes, while Gasol and Davis made it for the first time.
Curry averaged 23.8 points and 7.7 assists, sixth in the NBA in each category, plus 4.3 rebounds and a career-best 2.04 steals a game, fourth in the league this season.
His 286 3-point baskets broke his old NBA record of 272 from two seasons ago.Curry made 48.7 percent of his shots, including 44.3 from 3-point range, and led the NBA by sinking 91.4 percent of his free throws.
James, who led the Cavaliers to a 53-29 mark in his homecoming season after leaving the Miami Heat last July, was third in the NBA with 25.3 points a game and seventh in assists with 7.4 a game.
Harden was second in the NBA in scoring with 27.4 points a game and added 7.0 assists a game. He led the league with 715 free throws made as well as 824 attempted.
Davis sparked the Pelicans into the playoffs for the first time since 2011 by finishing fourth in scoring at 24.4 points a game, seventh in shooting accuracy with 53.5 percent, eighth in rebounds with 10.2 a game and an NBA-high 2.94 blocked shots a game.
Gasol averaged a career-best 17.4 points as well as 7.8rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Grizzlies. He had 453 points in voting, the fewest of any First-Teamer.
Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, the NBA scoring leader with 28.1 points a game, had only 397 points but only 10 first-team votes.
He was joined on the All-NBA Second Team by Los Angeles Clippers standout Chris Paul, Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Chicago’s Pau Gasol, Marc’s brother.
Kyrie Irving, James’ Australian-born teammate on the Cavaliers, was on the All-NBA Third Team along with Golden State’s Klay Thompson, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and the Clippers’ Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. – Rappler.com
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