For the Rockets, there was one competition in the All-Star voting in question.

As always, Rockets center Yao Ming was a certainty. Though hurt Dec. 23 and out for the past 14 games, Yao was the overwhelming choice as the Western Conference starting center in the voting announced on Thursday. Yao will attend but not play in the Feb. 18 All-Star Game at Las Vegas. He received the second-most votes this season, behind only Eastern Conference forward LeBron James, and fourth-most ever.

The Houston Rockets' Yao Ming of China (L) hugs teammate Tracy McGrady before their NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles, February 14, 2006. [Reuters]

Yao, selected as a starter in each of his five NBA seasons, is second among Rockets in starting selections to Hakeem Olajuwon, who was chosen a starter in eight of his team-record 12 appearances.

The race to watch for the Rockets and their quest to have two starters for a fifth consecutive season, was at guard, where Tracy McGrady had a huge lead until Allen Iverson was traded from the 76ers to the Nuggets and from the Eastern Conference to the West.

In the most recent update, Iverson was within 48,479 votes. But with his recent flurry of nine 30-point performances in the past 13 games, McGrady pulled away from Iverson to earn his seventh All-Star spot, giving the Rockets at least one player playing in the game for the sixth consecutive season. "To be voted in is always special," McGrady said. "It's always an honor. But this is huge for me.

"This is the best of all of them because of what happened last year with the injury, and I went out with the couple games this season."

McGrady, with a relatively slim lead in the last update, earned the second Western Conference guard spot behind Kobe Bryant, receiving 129,158 more votes than Iverson and 437,970 more than two-time MVP Steve Nash.

After seven reserves in each conference are selected by coaches' votes, NBA commissioner David Stern will choose an injury replacement for Yao and any other player unable to play.

"I really wish I could have played because the All-Star Game is for the fans and I feel very honored to have received all those votes," Yao said. "I hope that I can get a chance again to attend next year's event in New Orleans. Right now, I am going to continue working hard to get back on the court as soon as possible to help my teammates as we try to make the playoffs."

Yao had said on Monday that he was not going to attend the game and other events to remain in Houston to concentrate on his rehabilitation.

Yao's agent, John Huizinga, however, said on Thursday that Yao will be able to move his workouts that weekend to Las Vegas and plans to make the trip.

"He is going," Huizinga said. "Based on everything we know today about his rehab, we expect he will be able to go to the All-Star Game without compromising his rehab. He is planning to go. I would say when I spoke with the NBA I qualified his attendance with a statement that he would go unless something changed between now and then with his rehab. Yao's rehab is his No. 1 obligation right now. We don't see any conflicts at this point with everything we know, to do his rehab and go to Las Vegas."

Along with Yao, McGrady and Bryant, the Timberwolves' Kevin Garnett and the Spurs' Tim Duncan were named Western Conference starters.

Shaquille O'Neal, who has played in only five games this season, was voted in as the Eastern Conference starting center along with Heat teammate Dwyane Wade. The Raptors' Chris Bosh held off the Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal for the forward spot next to James. The Wizards' Gilbert Arenas, the NBA's second-leading scorer, moved past the Nets' Vince Carter in the last two weeks to earn the other Eastern Conference guard spot with Wade.

James was the All-Star Game MVP last season, with McGrady returning after scoring a Rockets record 36 points in the game at Toyota Center.

"It's not necessarily more important this year (because Yao will not play,)" McGrady said. "It's definitely great to have two All-Stars, but I can't really represent the Rockets any differently because he can't be there. I'm just going to go out there and have fun. I'm sure Yao will be around that weekend.

"I'm just going to enjoy the weekend. I do enjoy it. You have all these different personalities. You face these guys night in, night out. You try to get to know them for the weekend and see what type of guys they are. It's a midseason party, chops it up a little bit. We all have fun.

"After that, after that weekend, its time to really buckle down and get down to business."

But for now, he added another victory that, unlike Yao's, was uncertain until Thursday's announcement.