Kyrie Irving, Al Horford Fail To Make Any All-NBA Teams
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Celtics may have won 55 games in the regular season and sit one win from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.
But that did not help their best receive any individual accolades on an All-NBA team, as no Celtic was named to the All-NBA First, Second, or Third Team, confirmed by the voting results released by the NBA on Thursday.
First Team: James Harden (Rockets), Damian Lillard (Trailblazers), LeBron James (Cavaliers), Kevin Durant (Warriors), Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
Second Team: Russell Westbrook (Thunder), DeMar DeRozan (Raptors), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Joel Embiid (76ers), LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs)
Third Team: Stephen Curry (Warriors), Victor Oladipo (Pacers), Jimmy Butler (Timberwolves), Paul George (Thunder), Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
Both James and Harden were unanimous votes en route to their deserved nods, and while no Celtic can claim such a title, both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford did receive votes, according to the NBA. Irving finished with the third-most votes among those that did not make that group of 15, with 42 votes, trailing the Rockets’ Chris Paul (54) and Utah’s Rudy Gobert (51). Horford, meanwhile, finished with the fifth-most votes, with 32, four behind the Sixers’ Ben Simmons.
While the Celtics are an undeniable ‘team-first’ squad, you can make the case that Kyrie Irving absolutely deserved a nod.
His 24.4 points per game were the eighth-most among all scorers this past season, more than the Pacers’ Oladipo, and Irving shot better than Oladipo across the board, including a 40.8 three-point percentage opposed to Oladipo’s 37.1 percent. The 25-year-old Irving also finished with the 17th-best efficiency rating in the league (and fifth-best among NBA guards).
The C’s can knock James and his unanimous votes out of action tomorrow night with a potential Game 6 win in Cleveland.
Ty Anderson is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Ty? Follow him on Twitter @_TyAnderson.