Complete All-NBA First Team and Second Team Predictions
Now that the NBA playoffs are upon us, we can finally make a concerted effort to figure out who should be named to the All-NBA teams. Here, I'm focusing only on the first and second teams.
A lot is at stake, especially for some of the more established veterans. For example, will Kobe Bryant get his 10th nomination to the first team and join Michael Jordan in a tie for the second most of all time? Or will a young gun take his spot for the first time since the 2006-2007 season?
That question and more will be answered in the upcoming slides.
Before you read on, though, keep in mind how the rosters work. Each team is comprised of two guards, two forwards and a center. It makes absolutely no difference whether a player is a point guard or shooting guard; likewise, the distinction between small forwards and power forwards is rendered insignificant.
The players that you will see featured in this slideshow are my picks for the first and second teams, but you will also be able to see the results of a large poll at the end.
You should also be warned that I am going to use some advanced statistics here. If you aren't familiar with any of them, click here.
Enjoy!
First Team Guard: Chris Paul
1 of 12Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Point guard
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 19.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 2.5 steals, 0.1 blocks
The only point guard with the ability to dethrone Chris Paul from his rightful place on the All-NBA first team this season was Derrick Rose, and the Chicago Bulls floor general just happened to be on the sideline almost as often as he was on the court during the 2011-2012 NBA season.
If you're looking for the biggest reason why the Los Angeles Clippers have gone from joke of the league to actual contender in such a short time, don't overlook the obvious one. CP3 is in town.
With his constant playmaking and defensive abilities, Paul has brought a two-way presence to this team that hasn't been seen in a long time.
The season that this point guard has enjoyed has been absolutely sensational, especially because Vinny Del Negro's idea of a good last-minute offense is to give the ball to Paul and hope something good happens. Usually, it does.
If you want someone to score, Paul's your man. And the same can be said if you want an assist or a defensive stop.
First Team Guard: Russell Westbrook
2 of 12Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Position: Point guard
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 23.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks
Advanced Stats: 53.8 TS%, 108 ORtg, 105 DRtg, .163 WS/48, 22.9 PER
No matter how you look at it, Russell Westbrook has had an absolutely fantastic season, improving his all-around game just like he has during each and every year since he was drafted out of UCLA.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's point guard and second-best player is a bit of a polarizing figure, though, because he doesn't fit perfectly within the traditional mold of floor generals who look to pass first. But, as I've often wondered, why does that matter?
If your point guard creates points, which Westbrook certainly does, it shouldn't matter how he gets them. Needing a pass-first point guard can actually be more limiting than anything else in some situations.
For all of the ill-advised pull-up jump shots that Westbrook takes early in the shot clock, he makes up for them by driving to the lane with an explosiveness unmatched by any other player at his position. And until Kevin Durant starts complaining about Westbrook's gunner mentality, I'm not going to let it bother me.
Westbrook's aggressiveness is what makes him so effective. Even though the defense knows that a bull-rush to the rim is coming, he still manages to get there and draw no fewer than three or four defenders on some plays.
That allows Westbrook to draw plenty of contact and score at the free-throw line, which he's quite adept at doing, or kick out to open teammates.
His mentality and occasionally careless play can lead to negative outcomes, but his positives more than make up for them.
Even though Westbrook's usage rate jumped to a ridiculous 32.7 percent, his turnover percentage still managed to drop to a career-best 14.2 percent. And for all the strides that he made on offense, he still improved his defensive presence as well.
Interestingly enough, if you look at net unadjusted offensive and defensive rating, Westbrook was more valuable to the Thunder on both offense and defense than Durant. These stats do have a good bit of validity because Westbrook and Durant spend so much time on the floor together, thus keeping them from being skewed.
First Team Forward: Kevin Durant
3 of 12Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Position: Small forward
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 28.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks
Advanced Stats: 61.0 TS%, 114 ORtg, 101 DRtg, .230 WS/48, 26.2 PER
The winner of three consecutive NBA scoring titles, Kevin Durant remains not only the leading scorer, but also one of the most versatile offensive players in the league. But you all know about Durant's offensive game already, so I'd rather focus on his defense and passing.
What really makes Durant a near lock for the first team is his increased intensity on the less glamorous side of the court. The small forward's defensive rating dropped from 107 to 101, which was aided no doubt by the increased defensive abilities of the Oklahoma City Thunder as a whole.
More than ever, Durant is willing to get down and dirty on the defense and lock down his defender, whether he's guarding a small forward on the perimeter or a power forward in the post.
On offense, Durant has realized that Westbrook achieves his greatest level of success when the ball is in his hands, and he's allowed to be aggressive, so the leading scorer is willing to serve as a facilitator for a lot of the game. This season, Durant put up career highs in both assists per game and assist percentage.
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First Team Forward: LeBron James
4 of 12Team: Miami Heat
Position: Small forward
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 27.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.8 blocks
Advanced Stats: 60.5 TS%, 118 ORtg, 97 DRtg, .298 WS%, 30.7 PER
With the most win shares, the most win shares per 48 minutes and the highest PER in the league, you should need no explanation for why LeBron James is included here.
There's a reason that he's the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA first team by the panel of voters you will find listed at the end of this article. He should also be a near-consensus MVP, even though that won't happen because of the vitriol that "The Decision" inspired.
James was even considered by many as the Defensive Player of the Year, and justifiably so after he showed his greatness on that end of the court with his ability to guard every position from point guard to center.
If you're looking for the best basketball player in the world right now, you've found him.
First Team Center: Dwight Howard
5 of 12Team: Orlando Magic
Position: Center
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 20.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.1 blocks
Advanced Stats: 56.9 TS%, 106 ORtg, 96 DRtg, .179 WS/48, 24.2 PER
Whether you consider on-court play or off-court drama, Dwight Howard has put together the worst season he's had in quite some time. But still, leaving him off the first team would have to be done almost out of spite more than anything else.
The current NBA landscape is still nearly devoid of quality centers, even though the position is improving. Andrew Bynum entered his name among the discussion for the best at his job, but he's still not quite at the level that Howard is.
Howard was still among the favorites for Defensive Player of the Year, and he also led the league in rebounds per game and the more important stat: total rebound percentage.
The off-court drama absolutely hindered the success of the Orlando Magic, but that shouldn't affect our judgment of the best on-court seasons.
Second Team Guard: Tony Parker
6 of 12Team: San Antonio Spurs
Position: Point guard
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.1 blocks
Advanced Stats: 53.9 TS%, 112 ORtg, 106 DRtg, .177 WS/48, 22.0 PER
It's really a shame that Tony Parker hasn't been talked about more in MVP discussions throughout the year. I'm not suggesting that he should win the award, but I do think that his name at least deserves an honorable mention.
Throughout the discontinuity that the Spurs have experienced at the (broken) hand of Manu Ginobili, Parker served as the stabilizing force while putting together a season that rivaled his 2008-2009 campaign as the best of his career.
Without Parker at the helm of the San Antonio Spurs offense, we wouldn't be seeing such a solid rookie season from Kawhi Leonard, and Danny Green might never have broken out.
Parker's one of the few players in the league whose passing is so good that he undoubtedly makes everyone around him better while still scoring at will within the flow of the offense.
Parker's per-game numbers may not look as impressive as some of the other players surrounding on the second team, but his per-36 numbers and advanced stats are because he produced so much in only 32.1 minutes per game.
Second Team Guard: Kobe Bryant
7 of 12Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Shooting guard
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks
Advanced Stats: 52.7 TS%, 105 ORtg, 106 DRtg, .132 WS/48, 21.9 PER
Don't get me wrong here. The season that Kobe Bryant has put together at 33 years old has been simply fantastic. But to make the first team, the Black Mamba would have had to beat out Russell Westbrook, and it's quite difficult to make an argument that he should have.
Look at the comparison of these four advanced stats:
| Player | ORtg | DRtg | WS/48 | PER |
| Kobe Bryant | 105 | 106 | .132 | 21.9 |
| Russell Westbrook | 108 | 105 | .163 | 22.9 |
Across the board, Kobe comes in second place. Plus, the same anti-Westbrook argument that he shoots too much can be applied to Mr. Bryant as well. The difference is that Bryant's true shooting percentage is even lower than Westbrook's.
Kobe may have barely lost out on the scoring crown to Kevin Durant, but he had to loft up an incredible amount of attempts to even come within range. The shots that Kobe can make—the twisting floaters and the hand-in-the-face contested jumpers—are simply unsurpassed when it comes to difficulty level. He just takes them a bit too often.
If it sounds like I'm hating on Kobe here, I'm absolutely not. Remember that I'm still calling him a second team guard and saying he's had a better season than any other shooting guard in the NBA. I just know that the comments are going to be questioning Westbrook's inclusion on the first team, and thus, the slide has to seem more pejorative than positive.
Finally, I realize that I have terrible timing with the publication of this piece. After all, Kobe is coming off a terrific 38-point performance that propelled his Los Angeles Lakers to a 2-0 series lead over the Denver Nuggets.
The Black Mamba is still capable of striking like that on any given night and looking like the best player in the league, but please don't try to make an argument using a one-game sample size.
Second Team Forward: Kevin Love
8 of 12Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: Power forward
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 26.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks
Advanced Stats: 56.8 TS%, 117 ORtg, 104 DRtg, .223 WS/48, 25.4 PER
I feel bad for Kevin Love.
He's clearly the best power forward in the NBA right now and has put together a season for the ages with some truly historical games and stretches of games. He was even in the MVP discussion before the Timberwolves tapered off, and yet he's still demoted to the second team. That's just what happens when the forward slots are already filled by the top two players in the league.
Love's combination of skills in a power forward's body is truly unique. How many players in NBA history can grab 13.3 rebounds per game while dazzling defenders with post moves and then step back and knock down three-pointers?
Playing alongside Ricky Rubio for the first half of the 2011-2012 campaign, Love actually had Minnesota in contention for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, which may be his most impressive feat of all.
Second Team Forward: Blake Griffin
9 of 12Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Power forward
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 20.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.7 blocks
Advanced Stats: 55.7 TS%, 113 ORtg, 104 DRtg, .185 WS/48, 23.4 PER
This was closer than any other spot in my mind. I battled back and forth between Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin, even writing the following before settling on Griffin:
"Carmelo Anthony has had quite the turbulent season, battling through injuries and the irrational group of New York Knicks fans who got so swept up in Linsanity that they were convinced the team was better without its best player. But the small forward worked past all that and played well enough during the final month of the regular season to be named the Eastern Conference's Player of the Month.
Scoring more than 40 points on two separate occasions during the month, 'Melo averaged 29.8 points per game and carried the Knicks to a 9-4 record even without Lin or Amar'e Stoudemire in the lineup.
There's a chance that I'm getting caught up in the recency effect, a psychological principle that explains why we tend to remember the events that happened the shortest temporal distance from the present moment better than those that happened longer ago.
But then again, the recent events were so superb that they were able to cancel out the early-season struggles.
"
Then I thought to myself, "Hey, wait a second there, Adam. Hold your horses. Blake has been just as good as Carmelo over the course of the year (maybe even a little bit better), and he played 11 more games."
| Player | ORtg | DRtg | WS/48 | PER |
| Carmelo Anthony | 106 | 102 | .160 | 21.1 |
| Blake Griffin | 113 | 104 | .185 | 23.4 |
With the exception of defensive rating, Griffin is actually better across the board. And DRtg needs to be taken with a grain of salt because Melo's mark is actually 1.0 worse than his team's average while Griffin's is 1.7 better.
But the biggest difference is the games played. In a shortened season, missing 11 games is the equivalent of missing a sixth of the total games. With fairly equal production and an extra sixth of a season, I have to bump Griffin up.
Plus, there's that whole playing your butt off night in and night out while dealing with cheap shots from other players thing. Effort has to count for something, and very few players go all out like Blake.
Second Team Center: Andrew Bynum
10 of 12Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Center
2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.9 blocks
Advanced Stats: 59.4 TS%, 112 ORtg, 100 DRtg, .183 WS/48, 22.9 PER
Seeing as Andrew Bynum has actually started to challenge Dwight Howard for superiority among the NBA centers, this one really shouldn't be debated about too much.
You could make a case for Tyson Chandler, but he just doesn't bring the same amount of offense to the table even if his defense is a little bit better.
Marcin Gortat? Please.
What? No Dwyane Wade or Derrick Rose?
11 of 12Here's one more stat for you: 60, 66, 66, 62, 54, 60, 58, 55, 66 and 60. That's how many games the 10 players on my All-NBA teams played respectively.
In order to be rewarded for your exploits during the regular season, you have to actually be on the court. That's really the only reason that Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, who both would have been strong first team candidates, were left off entirely. Wade played in only 49 games, while Rose sat out for all but 39.
There is a bit of a precedent for this. Michael Jordan made the All-NBA first team from 1987 through 1993 and then again from 1996 through 1998, but he didn't make the squad during the 1993-1994 season, when he played in only 17 games.
Yes, that's a bit of an extreme argument, but you get my point.
Rose was out for way too long to be considered, but Wade will actually be found on a lot of ballots once you click through to the next slide. For me, though, missing 17 games in a 66-game season is just too much, especially given the multitude of other quality guards that I already had to leave out.
Poll Results
12 of 12Because multiple opinions are almost always better than just one, I posed the question of who should make the teams to the other B/R NBA featured columnists (and a select group of non-writers) in order to give you all a feel for how the general landscape of NBA fans feels.
Players received two points for a first-team vote and one point for a second-team vote. Fifty-three ballots were submitted, including my own, which makes 106 points a perfect score.
First Team Roster
Guard: Kobe Bryant (95 points)
Guard: Chris Paul (88 points)
Forward: LeBron James (106 points)
Forward: Kevin Durant (95 points)
Center: Dwight Howard (80 points)
Second Team Roster
Guard: Russell Westbrook (49 points)
Guard: Dwyane Wade (34 points)
Forward: Kevin Love (71 points)
Forward: Blake Griffin (22 points)
Center: Andrew Bynum (63 points)
Also Receiving Votes
Tony Parker (29 points)
Carmelo Anthony (17 points)
Rajon Rondo (10 points)
Josh Smith (8 points)
Dirk Nowitzki (5 points)
Tyson Chandler (4 points)
Derrick Rose (4 points)
LaMarcus Aldridge (3 points)
Danny Granger (2 points)
Al Jefferson (2 points)
Deron Williams (2 points)
Monta Ellis (1 point)
Kevin Garnett (1 point)
Marc Gasol (1 point)
Rudy Gay (1 point)
James Harden (1 point)
Roy Hibbert (1 point)
Steve Nash (1 point)
Paul Pierce (1 point)
Amar'e Stoudemire (1 point)
Votes were cast by: Sheryar Ali, Haddon Anderson, Andy Bailey, Bob Bajek, Marvin Barge, Luis Battle, Shashank Bharadwaj, Kyle Boggs, Roy Burton, Joshua Carroll, David Daniels, Silas DeLuca, Jesse Dorsey, Michael Dunlap, Joseph Fafinski, Dan Favale, Tom Firme, Adam Friedgood, John Friel, Adam Fromal, Ethan Grant, Paul Grossinger, Shehan Jeyarajah, Logic Johnson, Ehran Kahn, Hunter Konsens, Bryant Knox, Trevor Lowry, Brian Mazique, Bretton McIlrath, Conor Naughton, Mark Neufeld, Jacob Newcomer, Ethan Norof, Maxwell Ogden, Peter Owen, Shawn Paul, Roberto Payne, Eric Prokopovich, Bart Rich, Sim Risso, Bradlee Ross, Geoff Sable, Kelly Scaletta, Ben Shapiro, Matt Shetler, Greg Swartz, Chris Trenchard, Michael Tumey, Andrew Wallock, Bryant West, Patrick Wylie, Lindsey Young
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