NBA All-Star Voting 2012: Paul Pierce, Four Other Celtics On Ballot

The NBA All-Star ballots have been released, and as usual, there is a healthy serving of Boston Celtics players on the ballott. Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and reserve Brandon Bass have all made the cut on this year's ballot for the Eastern Conference, which leads all NBA teams.

Allen is 12th in the league in scoring, averaging 20.0 points per game. Rondo is also having a stellar season to date, averaging 16.5 points (33rd in NBA), 10.5 assists (2nd in NBA) and 1.3 steals. Garnett is averaging a team-high 9.9 rebounds to go along with 12.8 points and 1.2 blocks. Meanwhile, Pierce is averaging 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while Bass is averaging 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds off the bench for Boston, which is 3-3 through six games.

Other notable stars on the NBA All-Star Ballot in the East are LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets, Carmelo Anthon and Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

In the West, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks highlight the stars on the ballot. In addition, former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, who now plays for the Thunder, is on the ballot.

Voting officially opened on Wednesday, and the 61st annual NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. The last time the game was played in Orlando was back in 1992. For the 10th straight year, TNT will broadcast the game. The festivities begin on Saturday, February 25 with NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, which features the Haier Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest as well as the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. In addition, the weekend will also feature the NBA Rising Stars Challenge, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the NBA All-Star Jam Session.

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