LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant and first
The All-Star break comes about 10 games after the actual midway point of the 82-game season, but that gives us more time to evaluate everything we've seen. This first half has brought many lessons, so USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph takes a look at seven that stand out (statistics entering Monday):
1. LeBron James is amazing, but let's not call him peerless.
Why? Well, Kevin Durant is around. And he's pretty amazing, too.
James is the defending NBA MVP, and his Miami Heat are the defending NBA champions. So let's not make any missteps when speaking about Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder star and James' only one-on-one rival. The only trophies he has won in his career are the 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and the 2012 All-Star Game MVP. But he's turning a corner.
Durant leads the NBA with 31.2 points a game and is shooting 51.2% from the field, both of which would be career bests. He's also on pace for personal records with 5.5 assists and 1.4 steals a game. But his efficiency is what has really taken off: Durant leads the NBA in Basketball- Reference.com's player efficiency rating and win shares.
James had led the league in both of those categories for five years running. But Durant has stepped up his game since Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook went down with another knee injury in December, and he has carried perhaps the best team in the NBA on his shoulders.
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Westbrook, Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose are superstars, and the NBA is a superstar league. So the inclination to get them back on the court made sense for teams and fans.
But all three were back on the inactive list after their returns from previous injuries. Westbrook has had surgery three times after a meniscus tear in his right knee in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legend, broke a bone in his left knee six games after returning from a torn Achilles tendon. And Rose tore a meniscus in his right knee 10 games after his return from a full-season absence for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
The expectations are so high for superstars. Rose came back and looked like a shadow of himself, tellingly seeing his free throws per game drop from 6.1 in 2011-12 (the season when he tore the ACL) to 3.2 this season. To handle that type of stress, injuries can't be rushed. And even if they are, they might not go away.
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This rookie crop was one of the most unheralded in recent seasons, starting with the underwhelming draft. Well, the critics have been validated this season.
No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett of the Cleveland Cavaliers has only been the biggest of many disappointments, shooting 29.9% from the field and barely cracking the Cavs' rotation. No. 3 pick Otto Porter Jr. has gone from rookie of the year favorite to mostly injured and struggling when he plays for the Washington Wizards. Cody Zeller, who went fourth to the Charlotte Bobcats, also has struggled despite being considered one of the draft's more polished options.
Victor Oladipo, picked second by the Orlando Magic, and Michael Carter-Williams, 11th by the Philadelphia 76ers, have emerged as the most NBA-ready players in this draft class. But perhaps the most exciting development among the rookies has been the solid play of the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, the No. 15 pick and the youngest player in the draft. Antetokounmpo has emerged as a valuable role player for the league-worst Bucks and has plenty of upside at 19.
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Eight of the 16 teams sitting in playoff position replaced either their top basketball executive or their head coach this offseason, with the Phoenix Suns pulling off switching both. There's no guarantee with these moves, as the Detroit Pistons found when they ended up firing Maurice Cheeks 50 games into his head coaching tenure.
But first-time head coach Steve Clifford has the Bobcats playing significantly improved defense, and returning team President Larry Bird helped the Indiana Pacers rebuild their bench. New Suns coach Jeff Hornacek and general manager Ryan McDonough are contenders for postseason awards.
Even Jason Kidd, who took much criticism when his Brooklyn Nets started the season on an extended skid, has figured out things in his first season as a coach. Hired not long after retiring as a New York Knicks player, Kidd has switched to a smaller lineup in 2014 and found new life for the aging Nets.
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The strength of the 2014 NBA draft led many to speculate teams such as the 76ers, the Magic and even the Suns could test the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats' 7-59 futility record. No dice.
Every team, even the 9-41 Bucks, has too many wins to sink to the depths of those Bobcats' .106 winning percentage.
What now? Well, the Bucks, 76ers and Magic seem to look like the front-runners in the draft lottery, where prizes such as Kansas' Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins and Duke's Jabari Parker likely await.
Milwaukee's repeat playoff hopes were dashed early on by injuries, while the 76ers and Magic are young and could use a bright young superstar, the type of player this draft seems loaded with.
Phoenix will just have to accept that its team is one of the season's biggest surprises and most exciting teams, appearing to be headed to the playoffs.
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6. Centers - big, traditional ones - are back.The rebounds-per-game leaderboard in the 2003-04 season featured all of four centers in its top 10. Ten years later, we're up to seven, with others not far away.
Even as the Heat won the championship while using natural power forward Chris Bosh at center, much of their competition was moving the opposite direction. The other three conference finalists - the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Pacers - all had 7-footers at the hearts of their defenses.
Protecting the paint has become a valued commodity, which is how Pacers center Roy Hibbert made the Eastern Conference All-Star team with averages of 11.9 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
7. Don't be too quick to count out the Heat.
This goes for James' MVP chances, too. The Heat were 35-14 through their first 49 games last season, same as this one. And they also were six games into a 27-game winning streak.
So while the Pacers, Thunder and Spurs have better records and the Clippers, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers also look like contenders, the second half and the playoffs remain the Heat's to lose.
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