Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

Kevin Love's absence from All-Star Weekend has been noticed by his peers, as well as a missing Kyrie Irving.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

TORONTO - The Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto was clearly absent of genuine Love, and the NBA's All-Stars noticed.

The hotel is hosting the players participating in All-Star Weekend, a list that excludes Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love. Despite the Cavs possessing the best record in the Eastern Conference at 38-14, LeBron James is the lone team representative.

"It's sunk in a little bit obviously," James said. "I looking at some of the teams here and they got multiple All-Stars. I look at the top 4 teams in both conferences, myself as far as the Cavs, Toronto, San Antonio and Golden State. It's unfortunate that we only have one, but we'll see what happens. Our guys just got to use it as motivation. I'll try to use it as motivation as well. Winning a championship is a huge piece of it, but it would have been a great treat to see us as least get two."

Golden State, the top team in the Western Conference, has Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green enjoying the Canadian hospitality. I asked Green if a team going into the break with the best record should automatically be rewarded with multiple All-Stars.

Green wasn't on top of his game this morning.

"Usually wining equates to more," he responded. "I think both teams that finished No. 1 got more guys in, right?

I said, "No, only 'Bron."

"Kyrie didn't get in the All-Star Game?" a shocked Green asked, then repeated himself. "Kyrie's not in the All-Star Game?

"Wow. I didn't know that. Wow. That's incredible. Well yeah, I definitely think so. That's a tough thing to do. Obviously in order to get there, you have some type of individual success to be that good of a team."

Green was probably too excited by his first All-Star honor that he didn't bother to look at the rest of the rosters. That's understandable. Oklahoma City has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook playing in Sunday night's marquee game. Westbrook played with Love at UCLA and was willing to address the issue.

"I honestly think he's supposed to be in the game," Westbrook said. "To be able to get here, obviously with the East and the different guys they picked, but I think he deserves to be here with them being the No. 1 team in the East and him sacrificing some of the things he's able to do. As players, around the league and fans know what he's capable of doing when he needs to do it. So that's how I feel."

Love was left off the roster of East reserves chosen by coaches. Then a second opportunity dissolved when commissioner Adam Silver picked Chicago's Pau Gasol to replace an injured Jimmy Butler. And then a third opportunity was canned when Atlanta's Al Horford replaced Miami's Chris Bosh who withdrew from the game on Friday.

Toronto and Miami -- second and fifth in the East -- each have a pair of players in the game. Something is wrong with this system.

"I definitely would think that they would have more guys in than just one. I thought they did," Green said.

Many would agree, citing a tradition that the best in each conference be well represented. Atlanta got four guys in last year. It's strange, but as James said, the Cavaliers will try to use this snub as fuel for the second half.

No Love? It's still a head-scratcher.