Pippen Says Fans Shouldn’t Elect All-Stars
The NBA should do away with fan balloting to determine its All-Star starters, one of the game’s best players said.
“I think it should be taken away from the fans to some degree because there are a lot more established players that are more deserving than some of players selected,” said Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls, left off this year’s team after six consecutive appearances.
Fans vote for the starters, and coaches select the reserves.
Among the Western Conference starters is 19-year-old guard Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, the only All-Star who doesn’t start for his team. He is the youngest starter in All-Star history.
Meanwhile, five of the league’s top 12 scorers weren’t selected, including No. 4 Glenn Robinson of Milwaukee and No. 5 Shareef Abdur-Rahim of Vancouver.
Pippen, who missed the first 35 games of the season after foot surgery, said he wasn’t surprised by his omission. He was shocked, he said, that his teammate Dennis Rodman wasn’t included among the Eastern Conference’s best forwards.
Rodman, the league’s rebounding leader, and Washington’s Rod Strickland, the NBA’s assist leader, were the most glaring All-Star absentees.
The Bulls, winners of five of the past seven championships, will send just one representative to New York’s Madison Square Garden for the Feb. 8 showcase: Michael Jordan.
“I’m sort of disappointed only one player from a championship team is able to represent us, but that’s just how it goes sometimes,” Pippen said. “I wish that Dennis could have made it especially, but it didn’t happen.”
Around the league
All-Star Penny Hardaway was activated from the injured list by the Orlando Magic… . Kevin Johnson’s surgically repaired right knee is strong enough for him to begin practicing with the team, Phoenix Suns coach Danny Ainge said… . Tony Dumas was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On the courts
Michael Jordan scored 29 points, including three fadeaway jumpers in the final 3-1/2 minutes, as the visiting Chicago Bulls overcame an early 19-point deficit Thursday to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 100-87.
Michael Curry’s rebound basket with 5 seconds left in overtime gave the visiting Milwaukee Bucks a 115-112 victory over the New York Knicks.
Glenn Robinson scored 39 points and Ray Allen had 26 for Milwaukee, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining in regulation to force OT.
John Starks made a club-record nine 3-pointers and scored 32 points to lead the Knicks.
At Atlanta, Steve Smith scored 33 points, including four in the final 31 seconds of regulation and six in overtime, as Atlanta defeat Philadelphia 109-99.