"Chris Bosh was as shocked as everyone else when Charles Barkley said on TNT that he thought Bosh should be a starter on the Eastern Conference All-Star team instead of Carmelo Anthony.

A running punch line for Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, Bosh long ago quit watching TNT's pregame show. He learned about Barkley's compliment through a friend.

"I thought it was something else," Bosh said. "It was funny."

Did Bosh ever imagine a scenario when Barkley would respect his game?

"No," Bosh said. "To be honest with you, no. But it's cool. I must be doing … OK."

Dwyane Wade seemed skeptical of the sincerity of Barkley's praise for Bosh.

"With Charles, I don't know what that shows with him," Wade said.

Despite Barkley's support, O'Neal kept Bosh off his reserve list. O'Neal has held a grudge against Bosh since his playing days. Still, Bosh was diplomatic about O'Neal's snub.

"TV, I never read too much into TV," Bosh said. "You have to keep it interesting and who knows what the people upstairs are saying."

Bosh is averaging 20.4 points per game this season. His career average is 20.0 points per game. Bosh is shooting 52.1 percent from the field, which is a career high. More importantly, Bosh helped carry the team to a near-perfect record when Wade was injured."