THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Chris Bosh and Steve Nash are headed back to the NBA all-star game.
Toronto’s Bosh was voted a reserve for the Eastern Conference squad for the annual all-star game Feb. 17 in New Orleans, while Nash was named a reserve for the Western team.
"It’ll be great," Bosh told reporters after Thursday’s practice. "I worked really hard, I think it’s a reward for hard work. I’m just trying to work every day, and I think that’s a big honour."
New Orleans will mark Bosh’s third all-star appearance, and his selection was a bit of a no-brainer. The Raptors captain finished third among Eastern Conference forwards in voting behind Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Cleveland star LeBron James, who were both named starters.
Bosh, who was a starter in last year’s game in Las Vegas, is averaging 22.7 points and 9.10 rebounds a night for Toronto (25-20), and has 20 double-doubles on the season.
Bosh said being named an all-star never gets old.
"It never diminishes," Bosh said. "You don’t want to be in the position where it’s not the same and then you don’t make it, and then it’s kind of a shock and you have to get that feeling back again."
The other reserves for the Eastern Conference team named Thursday were Caron Butler (Washington), Paul Pierce (Boston), Chauncey Billups (Detroit), Richard Hamilton (Detroit), Joe Johnson (Atlanta) and Antawn Jamison (Washington).
Nash will make his sixth all-star appearance, emerging from a crowded group of West guards. The Phoenix Suns star and Victoria native is averaging 17.4 points and 3.5 rebounds a night.
The other West reserves are: Chris Paul (New Orleans), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Carlos Boozer (Utah), Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix), Brandon Roy (Portland), and David West (New Orleans).
Bosh won’t be joined on the squad by Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, who has been putting up all-star numbers while filling in for injured point guard T.J. Ford, but was considered a long-shot to make the team.
Bosh will have teammates in New Orleans though. Jamario Moon and Andrea Bargnani will be in New Orleans to play in the annual rookie-sophomore matchup. The high-flying Moon will also participate in the slam dunk contest, while Jason Kapono will defend the three-point title he won last season when he was with the Miami Heat.
Bosh anticipates big things from Moon in the dunk contest.
"He tried to explain (his dunk) to me, and I said, `if you make that man, I tip my hat to you,"’ Bosh said on the TNT broadcast of the all-star reserve announcement.
Shaquille O’Neal won’t be in New Orleans, ending his streak of 14 consecutive all-star selections. That tied the record held by Jerry West and Karl Malone.
Garnett, LeBron James, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, New Jersey’s Jason Kidd and Miami’s Dwyane Wade were voted by fans to start for the East. The West starters are Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, San Antonio forward Tim Duncan and Houston centre Yao Ming.
Coaches were then required to vote for two guards, two forwards, a centre and two players regardless of position. East coaches bypassed a natural centre, picking Bosh, a power forward, at that spot.
