A little more than halfway over, and this NBA season has been nothing but fun.  As we approach All-Star Weekend 2016, here are some updates on your favorite teams, with statistics provided by ESPN.

The Boston Celtics are 24-21.  Their head coach, Brad Stevens, is doing a commendable job.  Isaiah Thomas, the recently acquired starting point guard, is having a season worthy of an All-Star nod.  While only 5 feet, 9 inches tall, he manages to score 21.7 points per game, as well as 6.6 assists per game.  Another key factor of the Celtics’ success is small forward Jae Crowder.  Re-signed this summer, Crowder averages 14.6 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game.  He is a skilled shooter and complements Thomas very well.  The C’s have won five of their last seven games, and are traveling to Washington tonight to face the 20-21 Wizards.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 33-13.  They have won 8 of their last 10 games.  Starting small forward Kevin Durant and starting point guard Russell Westbrook lead the way. With Durant averaging 26.6 points per game and Westbrook averaging 23.9 points per game, they are arguably the best duo in the league.  Andrea Lan ’18 certainly thinks so too: “Westbrook is such a great player, and Durant can really shoot.  I definitely believe Westbrook is MVP-worthy; he is performing at another level right now.  With the team and the coach they have now, and with the way they are playing, I think they have what it takes to be a championship team.”

Being that they are third in the tough Western Conference, the idea of them being a championship team is not so far-fetched.  They are playing undeniably well right now, and will continue to be watched for their successes in future games and in the playoffs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 30-12, and are currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference.  Their star player, “the King”, Lebron James, is averaging 25.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.  Recently, Kyrie Irving has returned from a knee injury, and has significantly added to this team’s success as he pours in about 15.8 points per game.  But recently, the team hit a bump in the road; General Manager David Griffin fired head coach David Blatt.

With the best record in the Eastern Conference, and with the Cavs reaching the NBA Finals last year during Blatt’s first year of coaching, this was a shock to many coaches around the league—but some players and fans expected it.  Brendan Haywood, a center for the Cavs, says Blatt appeared afraid of Lebron James, and did not want to stand up to him.

Kishan Gandham ’19 comments that he wasn’t surprised that Blatt was fired: “It didn’t come to me as a shock.  I am glad that he’s gone, because he couldn’t control his team, and that is what a head coach should be able to do.  It was Lebron James’ fault that Blatt got fired, though.  James is one of the best players in the NBA, and when the coach and the King don’t get along, it never ends well.”  Nevertheless, the Cavs’ fans hope that the new coach, Tyronn Lue, won’t have that same icy relationship with James.

Now you are all up to date on those three teams, hopefully you are excited for All-Star Weekend this February.