Four Wolves Starters Represent Timberwolves on 2014 NBA All-Star Ballot
Minneapolis/St. Paul The NBA and Sprint today tipped off 2014 NBA All-Star Balloting during a special tip-off event in New Orleans, the Official Host City of NBA All-Star 2014. Timberwolves starters Kevin Love, Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio highlight Minnesotas representatives on the ballot as fans worldwide have the opportunity to vote for their favorite players as starters for the 63rd NBA All-Star Game. Also representing the Wolves on the ballot is forward Derrick Williams. NBA All-Star Balloting presented by Sprint began today at 2:30 p.m. CT.
The 120 players on the ballot were selected by a panel of media who regularly cover the NBA: Greg Anthony (NBA Digital), Mary Schmitt Boyer (Cleveland Plain Dealer/PBWA), Zach Lowe (Grantland), and John Reid (New Orleans Times Picayune).
For the second year in a row, NBA fans can vote for their favorite Timberwolves via social media networks, including Facebook and Twitter, and Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblog in China. Twitter voting allows fans to tweet a vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the All-Star balloting period. The tweet must include the players first and last name, along with hash tag #NBABallot. Facebook voting allows fans to comment on official league, team, or international NBA All-Star Facebook pages by commenting below the post with #NBABallot and the players first and last name. This year, the NBA is expanding social media voting to include Instagram. Fans can use Instagram to vote by posting an original photo, using #NBABallot and the players first and last name in the photo caption. Fans can vote for 10 unique players per day.
Love, a 6-10 forward, is looking to make this third career All-Star appearance after being selected to the team by coaches in both 2010-11 and 2011-12. Love has had a historic start to the 2013-14 season, averaging 27.1 points, 14.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists, becoming the first player in NBA history to tally 240+ points, 125+ rebounds and 45+ rebounds through the first nine games of a season. Hes recorded two games with 30+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ assists already this season; the rest of the NBA has none.
Martin, a 6-7 guard, is off to the best scoring start for a guard in franchise history. Through nine games, he is averaging 24.6 points on 46.0% shooting (55.8% from three-point range). Martin has topped the 30-point mark three times this year, including scoring 20+ points in seven games. Over his last six games, Martin has averaged 27.5 points, including scoring 23+ points in each game, matching the longest streak in his career. Over that stretch Martin has been especially hot from long distance, shooting 22-for-36 from three-point range (61.1%).
Pekovic, a 6-11 center, is averaging 13.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season, including erupting for his best game of the season with a 25-point, 10-rebound performance against the Clippers on Nov. 11. Signed to a long-term deal in the offseason, he has already recorded four double-doubles this season after posting 26 in 2012-13. Entering tonights game with Denver, Pekovic has grabbed an offensive rebound in 83 consecutive games, the second longest active streak in the NBA (Love, 84).
Rubio, a 6-4 guard, has already established himself as one of the leagues elite defensive guards, entering Friday nights game with a league-best 3.3 steals per contest. Hes grabbed at least one steal in 30 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league. Rubio posted his second career triple-double with a 12-point, 14-assist and 10-rebound performance against the Lakers on Nov. 10, and handed out a career-best 16 assists on Nov. 13 against Cleveland. Hes averaging 9.4 points and a career-high 9.7 assists per game this season (3rd in the NBA), including dishing out 10+ assists six times.
There are several other ways fans can cast their votes as part of this seasons all-digital program including: in 11 languages on NBA.com/asb, through SMS voting by texting the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA") or by visiting NBA.com/asb on any wireless device. Fans can vote for 10 different players per day, per phone number, via SMS voting by sending 10 separate SMS messages, each one with a different player's last name. Message and data rates may apply. Voters can fill out one full ballot per day on nba.com/asb from a desktop or mobile browser.
After submitting their All-Star selections, fans will have the ability to share those picks with their friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter, and encourage others to cast ballots.
Balloting concludes on Monday, Jan. 20, and starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 23, during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader.com at 7 p.m. ET, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille ONeal and Kenny Smith. The special will air prior to TNTs exclusive doubleheader featuring the Los Angeles Lakers at the Miami Heat (8 p.m. ET) and the Denver Nuggets at the Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 p.m. ET).
The NBA All-Star ballot features 120 players 60 each from the Eastern and Western conferences with 36 frontcourt players and 24 backcourt players from each conference comprising the list. Voters select three frontcourt players and two backcourt players from each conference.
The 63rd NBA All-Star Game will be exclusively televised on TNT from New Orleans Arena on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014. The All-Star Game, also broadcast live on ESPN Radio, will collectively reach fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 40 languages. NBA All-Star 2014 in New Orleans will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the leagues history for a global celebration of the game. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 12th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 30th year of All-Star coverage. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature Sears Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and Sprite Slam Dunk. Other events at NBA All-Star 2014 will include the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and NBA All-Star Jam Session. The 2014 game will mark the second NBA All-Star celebration in New Orleans. The city also hosted the event in 2008.
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