On Friday night, every seat at TD Garden had a poster on it – showcasing Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White – The posters served as friendly reminders for fans to cast their votes and support these players in the All-Star game.
If you’re not up to speed on the campaign, the Celtics are making a push to secure spots for their entire starting five in the 2024 NBA All-Star game in Indianapolis.
At first glance, it might seem a bit outlandish—five players from one team making the cut? The whole starting five?
Sounds wild, doesn’t it?
Yet, the intriguing part is that it’s not entirely impossible. While it’s probably a long shot, the undeniable talent of this team hasn’t gone unnoticed.
On Thursday, the NBA unveiled the latest fan voting results – which account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. Boston was well represented, with each member of its starting five within the top nine of voting.
For those players not chosen for the starting lineup, the next opportunity lies in the reserve pool. In this phase, the 30 NBA coaches will select 14 players, casting votes for two guards, three frontcourt players, and two players at any position in their respective conferences.
While Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone might not be casting votes for Eastern Conference All-Stars, he did offer some insight into the mind of a coach pregame Friday night – singing high praise for Boston’s stars.
“You don’t have the best record in the NBA without a lot of guys playing well. We all know Jayson Tatum, a first-team All-NBA player [with] great talent. Jaylen Brown, what he does,” Malone said. “[They’re] a hell of a team.”
Both Tatum (4x) and Brown (2x) have already earned All-Star nods in their careers, and the same holds true for Boston’s newcomers, Porzingis and Holiday.
“You look at the additions of Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, two great additions. Porzingis’s length, shot-blocking, and tough matchup because at the five, he can come out and shoot the three, he can roll with force, and he can handle the ball. So, a tremendous addition. And Jrue Holiday, to me, is one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Malone said.
The only member of Boston’s starting five who hasn’t yet made an All-Star appearance is White, and he’s been at the forefront of one of the most significant campaigns to secure him a spot.
This campaign seems to be endorsed by Malone.
“Derrick White is having an All-Star-caliber year. It’s crazy he’s averaging one block per game – and he’s a guard. And they lead the league in blocks per game, so give a lot of credit to Derrick. He just continues to find ways to get better and impact winning.”
We’ll learn how successful Boston’s five-man campaign was when the reserves are announced on February 1, but no matter the result, it’s pretty impressive to be in this situation.
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