Philadelphia ? Everyone seems to be doing a double take whenever they look at the Eastern Conference standings, and things should be no different when they glance at the East squad for the All-Star game.

Michael Jordan will be wearing blue and white instead of red and black, Jason Kidd will have the word “Nets” across his chest, and Dikembe Mutombo and Shareef Abdur-Rahim will be donning different uniforms than they did a year ago.

	When: 4:30 p.m. today.Where: Philadelphia.Television: Channels 27, 41.

In the West, there will be a distinct foreign flavor to this year’s team, with a German, a Yugoslav and a Canadian on the squad.

“For me, I’m in other locker room and get to see what the East says about the West and be a part of the smallball,” said Kidd, the leading contender for the MVP award at the unofficial midpoint of the season.

The East has changed so much that the New Jersey Nets you remember, the Meadowlands mutants of years past could be on the verge of leaving everybody behind in what is widely considered a vastly inferior conference to the West.

The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are right back where they were a year ago, a four-game losing streak away from being the fifth seed and a four-game winning streak away from contending for first place in the conference.

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were voted All-Star starters, along with Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets and Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.

O’Neal will miss the game because of a toe injury and will be replaced by Elton Brand of the Los Angeles Clippers on the roster. Sacramento’s Chris Webber will start in O’Neal’s place.

The team with the NBA’s best record, the Kings, will also be represented by Stojakovic. Stojakovic (Yugoslavia), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Steve Nash (Canada) of the Dallas Mavericks and Dikembe Mutombo (Congo) of the 76ers give the All-Star game its largest international presence ever.

The West’s other All-Stars are Karl Malone of Utah, Seattle’s Gary Payton and Minnesota’s Wally Szczerbiak.

Toronto’s Vince Carter, the overall leading vote-getter, pulled out of the game after straining his left quadriceps Thursday against San Antonio. Carter, who was replaced by Charlotte’s Baron Davis on the roster, is expected to be sidelined at least 10 days.

Jordan, Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson and Mutombo and Boston’s Antoine Walker also were voted into the Eastern Conference starting lineup, and coach Byron Scott pick Kidd to replace Carter.