Re: The All-Star Team - More of an honor than you might think

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Which is why the All Star Game
sucks...........................................throw in the Summer Games or
Olympics also. Now in baseball their chucking around the idea of the winner
National or American League will get home field advantage in the World
Series.

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: <snoopy1@pig.net>
To: <Celtics@igtc.com>
Cc: <Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 6:23 PM
Subject: The All-Star Team - More of an honor than you might think


> Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker should be extremely proud because they were
> NOT voted to the starting lineup of the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.
>
> Why?
>
> Because, as everyone on this list--and everywhere else NBA fans went to
> stuff physical and virtual ballot boxes--knows, the starters are no more
> than a popularity contest.  How else do players like Alonzo Mourning and
> Vince Carter get so many votes?
>
> But Pierce and Walker--though they got a lot of votes--were not among the
> starters.
>
> The group that voted the Celtics Dynamic Duo in was comprised of NBA
Coaches.
>
> That's right, the Coaches.  The people who run the teams that our guys
play
> against.  Coaches who--in some well-known cases--have every reason not to
> like either or both players.  I was surprised to learn that BOTH players
> got in.  I was certain that at least one of them would be left at home,
and
> hoping it would be Pierce--only because I think it would be far too
> insulting to have Walker there for the three point competition, only to
sit
> out the All-Star game itself.
>
> But the Coaches didn't give in to the pressure--too much.  I don't think
> Jordan's play this season merited his selection.  I know he's BEEN one,
and
> he's such a great player over his career, etc., but his play over the last
> season just doesn't merit it based on selection.  I figured that Vince
> Carter would withdraw due to injury and that it was tacitly agreed that
> Jordan would go in his place.  But at least Celtics fans can't really yell
> about that situation--let's fact it, I like the Bat-Man, but did anyone
> REALLY think Tony had a shot at getting in this year??
>
> And Shaq?  Sorry, but he's been a millstone around the Laker's collective
> necks.  He doesn't play like he loves the game, he's out of shape, and
he's
> onerous.  (Lucky for him Yao Ming isn't saddled with the temper of, say,
> Rasheed Wallace.  God knows, *I'D* have told Shaq to shut up until he
takes
> his team over .500)  Let him PLAY (and BEHAVE) like an all-Star before he
> makes the team.  By contrast, Yao plays hard, doesn't cause problems, and
> is a classy guy.  He doesn't even complain that Houston is stupidly under
> utilizing him.  I really like him.  He still has a lot to learn, but he
> works hard, and he DOES play like an All-Star.  A YOUNG one, to be sure,
> but even so.
>
> Getting back to Walker and Pierce, the fact that they got selected by the
> Coaches seems more like merit, not popularity, to me.  I may not like a
lot
> of them (there's not a whole lot about Byron Scott TO like, when you come
> down to it...), but they did the right thing, and two deserving players
> were selected to the team.
>
> Way to go!
>
> Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
> Please visit the
> <http://users.mfi.net/fluteaphrael/celticsbeagle/celtics.html>Celtics
> Beagle
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