Warriors have 5 of Top 9 vote-getters in early All-Star ballots

The NBA All-Star fan vote is the ultimate popularity contest, so it's no surprise that the Warriors are polling well. Five Golden State players are among the top nine vote-getters, per the second round of balloting returns released Thursday. The NBA changed its system this season so that, instead of having complete say of the starters, the fans account for only 50 percent of the vote. Under this new model, Pachulia would need a massive lead in the fan vote to withstand the inevitable dip when player and media ballots are recorded.