Curry-Harden backcourt headlines West All-Star starters

The first year of collaborative All-Star voting is in the books, with NBA fans, players, and media members combining to select Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and James Harden as Western Conference starters for the Feb. 19 game.

The bigger story, of course, is who isn't going to start for the West, as being the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double wasn't enough for Russell Westbrook to earn one of two guard spots.

Westbrook, Curry, and Harden all tied with an amalgamated voting score of 2.0, but Curry and Harden were pushed in by their higher ranks in the fan vote, which acted as a tie-breaker in addition to carrying more voting weight.

Curry, the reigning, two-time MVP, is headed to his fourth consecutive All-Star game, while Harden, the mid-season favorite for the award this year, is an All-Star for a fifth straight campaign.

Durant has now been named an All-Star in eight consecutive seasons, but will be making his first appearance in the event as a Warrior after representing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the previous seven All-Star games.

Leonard, who has won the last two Defensive Player of the Year awards and has the Tim Duncan-less Spurs on a 64-win pace, is now a two-time All-Star, while Anthony Davis is an All-Star for the fourth time in his five-year career.