Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have been the strongest and most consistent team in the league this season with Steve Kerr at head coach. Stephen Curry is a top candidate for MVP, but it has been the emergence of Klay Thompson that really has the Warriors offense clicking. The Splash Brothers and Co. are the highest scoring offense in the NBA and have outscored opponents by an average of 11.2 points per game.
They are the best shooting team, led by their three-point assault. Making 39 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc, the Warriors create a tough matchup for teams hoping to quiet their arsenal of hot hands. The confidence that the players have in each other is equally as impressive, as the Warriors lead the league in assists. But Kerr has also focused on defense and the return of Andrew Bogut has helped tremendously. He is not a scorer, but the big man has been a defensive presence, clogging the middle, which has allowed David Lee and newly developed Marreese Speights to provide quality minutes off the bench.
A squad that was once in discussion with the 1996 Chicago Bulls, the Warriors have been the team to beat for the majority of the season. They are the number one team in the NBA heading into the All-Star break, where Curry and Thompson will represent the Bay Area.
Atlanta Hawks
A team with very similar characteristics to the Warriors, the Hawks soared to the top of the Eastern Conference standings in mid-December. After starting the season 7-6, the Hawks rolled to 42-10, in large part due to a franchise-record 19-game winning streak. In his second year with the team, Mike Budenholzer has unraveled the secret formula to great team basketball.
Although three Hawks were selected to the All-Star game (Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Al Horford), none are quite close to superstardom. Budenholzer has the most balanced, well-developed team in the NBA, which accounts for multiple All-Star "snubs." The boys in Hotlanta are the talk of the league and, going into the break, are the best equipped team in the Eastern Conference to make a run to the NBA Finals.
Memphis Grizzlies
A team that has been largely overshadowed by the Golden State Warriors, the Grizzlies have hung around the top of the Western Conference standings for the entire first half of the season. Arguably the best defensive team in the NBA, the Griz have won nine of their last ten games and 13 of their last 15. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have played the best basketball of their careers beside each other. Forming a proverbial two-headed monster in the paint, Gasol and Randolph create daunting matchups for other Western Conference powers, most of which have multiple talented big men.
A defensive specialist that is often overlooked as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, Tony Allen is arguably the biggest asset for the Grizzlies' backcourt. At age 33, Allen continues to thrive against opposing teams' top scorers. After a trade that landed Jeff Green in Memphis, David Joerger's team has the depth to make a strong run through the Western Conference playoffs. Gasol is the lone All-Star selection, but rest and good health over the break could be the key to give the Grizzlies an edge in grinding out the second half of the season.
San Antonio Spurs
The defending champions are down in the Western Conference standings, which is largely a result of Gregg Popovich attempting to duplicate his strategy for success from a year ago. It seems that, for every year the big three get older, the Spurs depth increases reciprocally. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are the main subjects of Pop's minute-managing, yet all three continue to average double figures. Duncan is averaging a double-double and the ageless wonder is headed to his 15th All-Star game. The Spurs will likely need to move up in the standings to avoid playing the Warriors or Grizzlies in the playoffs and, although they have almost as many losses as they did a season ago, the playoff switch in San Antonio is not one that other teams would like to see turned on.
Chicago Bulls
Another team that has been concerned with adequate appropriation of rest, the Bulls have a deep roster to thank for being in first place in the Central Division. Derrick Rose's career has now been defined by injuries and Tom Thibodeau has been tasked with assuring that Rose is not overworked during the regular season. Jimmy Butler has done an excellent job facilitating Rose's return to the floor and is, arguably, the biggest reason the former first overall pick has been able to stay healthy. Averaging almost 40 minutes per game, Butler is having a breakout season.
Additionally, Pau Gasol has proved to be one of the best offseason acquisitions, averaging a double-double while Joakim Noah has also missed time due to injury. With Gasol and Butler headed to the All-Star game, the rest of the Bulls roster will look ahead to a healthy second half as they make a run at the Hawks in the East.