On Feb. 15, the NBA held its annual NBA All-Star Game. The first half of the NBA season provided many surprises, as well as some less surprising story lines. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were dominant as usual, the San Antonio Spurs boring yet good, the Knicks wrapped in turmoil and the Grizzlies and Thunder losing.

What was unusual, however, was the sudden losing of the Washington Wizards, the relative struggles of New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago and the dominance of the Cavaliers, Nuggets, and Magic.

Team by team in each division, I will go through the entire NBA, reviewing the half-season that was:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (44-11): With an NBA Finals win against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics returned to prominence in the NBA. With this, the second coming of the “Big Three” hung banner number 17. This season, the Celtics picked up right where they left off, winning 27 of their first 29 games (with an 18 game winning streak in the middle). Though they had a rough patch, losing 7 of 9 games from the end of December through the beginning of January, the Celtics ripped off another 12 game winning streak. Look for the Celtics to continue this early season dominance.

Philadelphia 76ers (27-24): Looks like the offseason blockbuster signing of forward Elton Brand didn’t work out as planned. He averaged 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game before being sidelined for the rest of the season with shoulder surgery. Andre Iguodala is a great scorer, but he can’t do it alone.

New Jersey Nets (24-29): Trading away two top players last season (Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson) marked a rebuilding stage for the Nets. Not getting the new stadium hurt the team, especially in their 2010 bid to sign LeBron James. Devin Harris was a fantastic pickup in the Jason Kidd trade, teaming with Vince Carter to create the top scoring backcourt in the league. To improve, the Nets need to pick up a big man with more talent.

New York Knicks (21-31): The Knicks started clearing some salary cap room this season to make room for a spot in the LeBron lottery in 2010. The Knicks traded away Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington, and it has helped them out significantly so far. The emergence of David Lee has also helped the perennial cellar-dwellers lift from last to second to last. All the Knicks can do is hope that LeBron chooses Madison Square Garden in 2010 to improve a dismal team.

Toronto Raptors (21-34): What happened here? A bright cast of young stars in Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker, Andrea Bargnani, athletic monster Jamario Moon and big man Jermaine O’Neal should have spelled instant success for the Raptors. Instead, they ended the first half in last place and traded away Moon and O’Neal to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Maybe the tenacity Marion brings to defense will breathe some life into the listless Raptors.

Central Division

Cleveland Cavaliers (40-11): What a surprise this is. I knew the Cavs were good, especially acquiring Mo Williams, but 40-11 good? I had no idea. Granted, they had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA so far, but a 24-1 home start is impressive even if you play the worst team in the league every night. LeBron James is dominant, as usual, averaging 28.4 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. He even had a 52 point, 11 assist, 9 rebound performance against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden (the third highest point total at MSG ever).If the Cavs can add another scoring big man (Shaq anybody?), look for a very deep run in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons (27-24): Looks like the Big Three aren’t the only ones needing a bailout in Detroit. The Pistons (while being practically the same team who won the NBA title a few short years ago) started slow, so they traded Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets for Allen Iverson. He hasn’t meshed well with them, and they have suffered.

Milwaukee Bucks (26-29): Trading for Richard Jefferson seemed like a good idea this offseason, and trading away Mo Williams gave them some cap room, but they still end up going nowhere. Add in the fact that top scorer Michael Redd is out for the season, and it seems like the Bucks are destined for the draft lottery once more.

Chicago Bulls (23-30): Disgruntled players and underachieving draft picks spell trouble for the Bulls. Taking Derrick Rose with the number one overall draft choice was brilliant, giving the Bulls stability and scoring at an otherwise problematic area for the Bulls. What they need now is players who want to play there, and big men who can at least hold their own against the rest of the NBA.

Indiana Pacers (21-33): I can’t say I didn’t expect a drop-off from the Pacers, trading away their best big man, Jermaine O’Neal, for an injury-riddled point guard, T.J. Ford. The emergence of Danny Granger definitely provides hope for the future.

Southeast Division

Orlando Magic (38-13): Here’s another surprise for the season. Who would have thought that the Magic would be able to contend with the NBA elite? Jameer Nelson became a true point guard for the first time in his career, and then tore his labrum and is out for the season. Look for the Magic to trade for a true point guard, or they will seriously drop off the table.

Atlanta Hawks (31-21): The Hawks picked up where they left off last season, winning with Mike Bibby and their raw athleticism. A good young backup at center will put the Hawks in position for years of success.

Miami Heat (28-24): Second overall draft choice Michael Beasley and All-World guard Dwayne Wade provide a great scoring combo for the Heat, but they had no big man until trading Sean Marion for Jermaine O’Neal. Now they’re in position to make a run, if second rounder Mario Chalmers keeps up his great play.

Charlotte Bobcats (21-31): Drafting D.J. Augustine was a bad choice for the Bobcats. Raymond Felton is finally coming into his own as a point guard, and you’re going to bring in another guy with your first round pick? There were plenty of other guys on the board to fill a need. They dumped Jason Richardson for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, but it hasn’t done anything for these perennial underachievers.

Washington Wizards (11-42): How awful have the Wizards been? Seriously, the Wizards are paying Gilbert Arenas over $100 Million to sit on the bench and blog. Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler can’t carry the Wizards. They don’t have a dependable point guard or big man. JaVale McGee is not the answer. It appears the Wizards are going to draft in the top three this year. I wonder if they’re going to draft the next Kwame Brown…

Western Conference

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets (36-17): Nene has emerged as a top big man, Carmelo Anthony is proving to be the type of player you want taking the last shot of the game. Throw in “Mr. Big Shot” Chauncey Billups returning home and uniting the team, and Denver is a legitimate NBA title contender.

Portland Trailblazers (32-19): The young up and coming Blazers are finally getting Greg Oden assimilated into the offense, blending nicely with the young (and talented) nucleus of Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake and LaMarcus Aldridge. Honestly, there are so many young, talented players that I couldn’t possibly list them all. The only downside is that Darius Miles’ coming out of “retirement” costs the Blazers millions of dollars against the salary cap.

Utah Jazz (30-23): The Jazz, while not underachieving, are not where they would like to be. Carlos Boozer has missed significant time, but Paul Millsap was a dependable replacement. Andre “AK-47” Kirilenko has also missed significant time, and that really hurts the Jazz. Their window of opportunity for an NBA title may be closing fast.

Minnesota Timberwolves (17-34): Al Jefferson, brought over in the Kevin Garnett trade, was lighting up the NBA averaging over 23 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks per game. That is, until he tore his ACL and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. I don’t know how the Wolves can make up for losing a player like Jefferson. Kevin Love is not the dominant post player they need him to be, and Randy Foye has just been decent so far.

Oklahoma City Thunder (13-40): With so many outstanding talents left on the board in last year’s NBA draft, the Thunder (formerly the Seattle Sonics) chose guard Russell Westbrook, leaving many fans scratching their heads. He brings a defensive toughness to the table, though the Thunder needs a lot more than just his perimeter defense to survive this season.

Pacific Division

Los Angeles Lakers (42-10): The experts said the Lakers would instantly become the most dominant team in the NBA if Andrew Bynum picked up where he left off last season before getting hurt. He improved, and the Lakers were cashing in, that is, until he suffered yet another knee injury maybe costing him the rest of yet another promising season. While all may not be lost (the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals last year without him), they will have their work cut out for them.

Phoenix Suns (28-23): Terry Porter was a terrible replacement choice for Mike D’Antoni. He tried to get his players to play tougher defense while staying up-tempo. What he got, was a team that slowed down, and still played no defense, getting Porter a pink slip. Amare Stoudemire asked for a trade, but with new coach Alvin Gentry pushing for a D’Antoni-like offensive scheme, I’m curious to see if Stoudemire wants to remain in the desert.

Golden State Warriors (19-35): The Warriors picked up scorer Corey Maggette and teamed him with a group of score now; defend later players (i.e. Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Jamal Crawford) and somehow ended up with a familiar result. No defense, lots of offense, and no winning record.

Los Angeles Clippers (13-40): With young players Eric Gordon and Al Thornton playing well, the Clippers seem to have a reason to be optimistic. Then you look at a terrible ownership and management group and can’t help but wonder how they will mess it up next.

Sacramento Kings (11-43): The Kings have a great young player in Kevin Martin who can be the face of a franchise for a long time. The problem is that the Kings have no other players to team with him to create a good squad that can produce wins.

Southwest Division

San Antonio Spurs (35-16): The aging Spurs could not get more boring, yet they can’t stop winning either. With Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker missing extensive time, they managed to not only win but have a comfortable first place lead. It all comes down to the coaching, and Gregg Popovich is clearly one of the NBA’s best.

Houston Rockets (32-21): The only thing the Rockets want more than wins are some aspirin. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming have been hurt often, and it seems like they’ve only played about nine games with their whole starting five. The Rockets traded for Ron Artest in the offseason to create a potent combination of him, McGrady, and Ming. But they can’t win when they’re sitting on the bench in a cast, sling, or brace.

Dallas Mavericks (31-21): The window for a Mavericks championship may now be officially closed. They got rid of Devin Harris last season (now one of the highest scoring guards in the league) for a much slower and less productive Jason Kidd. Josh Howard can’t score in the fourth quarter anymore, and Dirk Nowitzki, while scoring, seems to take a lot more shots than usual. Look for a few rebuilding years for the Mavs.

New Orleans Hornets (30-20): In a hyper competitive Southwest Division, the Hornets need to seriously pick up their game if they want to compete for a playoff spot. Chris “CP3” Paul is dominant as always, but teammate Tyson Chandler needs to get healthy before they can make a run.

Memphis Grizzlies (15-37): O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick, and Marc Gasol make this a team built for the future. Throw in Mike Conley from Ohio State, and you have a young group of guys who can do great things together in the near future.