The votes are in, and Kevin Love will start in the 2014 NBA All-Star game for the first time in his career.
"It means a lot, and it doesn't go unnoticed," he said in a conference call with the media, shortly after the announcement was made. "The fans have been so great this year. Not just me, but the rest of the team."
The lineups are set as follows:
East:
Backcourt: Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving
Frontcourt: Paul George, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony
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West:
Backcourt: Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant
Frontcourt: Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love
His third All-Star appearance, Love's inclusion in the starting lineup came as a bit of a surprise. In the set of returns before the final tally, Love was on the outside looking in, about 17,000 votes behind Blake Griffin for the final spot. Ultimately, both Love and Griffin will start, with Dwight Howard ending up as the odd man out (Love was about 24,000 votes behind Howard before the final returns).
Here's Love's reaction on the twittersphere:
Wow, what an amazing feeling! I'm still in shock. Thanks to all the fans who voted. Can't wait to… http://t.co/x09HG3Hj0y
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) January 24, 2014
Congrats to Kevin Love and the rest of this year's starters.