Gregg Popovich thinks winning is boring? He wasn’t saying that when the Spurs won four titles between 1999-2007. The Spurs continue to play another level above the rest of the league, and hopefully will have a chance to prove themselves as the best team in basketball come May/June. With how successful the season has been, I would hate to see a 2010 Cavs-type situation with a Conference Semis exit.

Dwyane Wade has been on fire, LeBron James is catching 90 foot passes, and Bosh is dropping digits on his old team. The Miami wrecking crew is in full effect, and now they take their talents to Hollywood for the weekend. I wonder how the Big 3 and Boston’s Big 4 will co-exist on the Eastern Conference squad.

The crowd changed his name, and the Roddy show finally took off on Wednesday night in Dallas. The Mavericks have won 12 of their last 13, and now are as healthy as they could hope to be heading into the back half of the season. There are so many weapons in the Dallas backcourt, they will have the ability to wear down teams in a seven game series.

Facing potential back-to-back losses to two of their biggest rivals in 2011, the Celtics stood strong to knock off the Heat 85-82 and avoid losing their third straight game. The C’s showed they were human in losses to Charlotte and Los Angeles as Ray Allen became the NBA career leader in 3-point field goals. Some much needed rest is well-deserved after their recent run, but all of the Big Four will be very busy in Los Angeles this weekend.

The Bulls are back to being one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. Chicago has won three in a row and 8 of their last 10. If it weren’t for LeBron James, Derrick Rose would be the undisputed midseason MVP at this point according to many (your author included). Few other players have been counted on to pick up extra weight due to injuries and be able to deliver the way Rose has so far this season.

We should all take some time to laugh at J.J. Redick. It’s okay, he’s teammates are as well.

Portland Trail Blazers

Brandon Roy tried to return, but it just isn’t in the cards yet for Blazers’ All Star. LaMarcus Aldridge, on the other hand, has gone HAM since his All Star snub. Aldridge is averaging 34.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in his last five outings, and the Blazers enter the All Star Break on a 6-game winning streak.

The Thunder will be well represented at All Star Weekend with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka all taking place in Saturday and Sunday’s festivities. If you are not familiar with the uber-likable Thunder, check out this recent column in GQ by @FreeDarko.

The Hawks have lost 3 of 4 and are slowly slipping down the Eastern Conference standings. Horford and Johnson will likely be in the shadows for most of All Star weekend, will it light a fire for them to make a statement when they return to action next week? Atlanta needs a spark, the question is where will it come from?

The one really impressive thing about Carmelo Anthony has been his ability to maintain his elite play throughout the months of trade rumors. It shows that behind it all, Anthony is a player who loves to play the game. Losing that will be difficult to swallow, but the Nuggets have to get something in return while they can.

For the first time since Allan Houston, the Knicks have an All Star. Additionally, one of the most improved teams in the league will match their victory total from last year with their first win after the break. The Knicks made an emphatic statement by pounding the Hawks before the break. New York is what Atlanta was 2 years ago, and Atlanta is no longer the team they were earlier this season. It would not surprise me to see these teams swap spots by April.

The Hornets have been one of the streakiest teams in the league this season. Right now happens to be one of their worst slides, dropping 6 of their last 7 games. There are BAD losses too, like a 102-89 loss to Golden State and losses to the lowly Nets and Timberwolves.

The Grizzlies are as hot as they can be. On a 4 game winning streak, winners of 8 of the last 10. So what’s the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, Rudy Gay out for 4 weeks. That, literally, is one of the worst things that could happen to a team that will be fighting for a playoff spot every night for the rest of the season.

For the last couple of weeks we have been able to proudly proclaim that Doug Collins has things turned around in Philly. Once again it seems like the Sixers are moving forward. They have won 7 of their last 10 and rank in the upper half of the league in most major statistical categories.

The curse of Jerry Sloan will continue, at least until February 23. Ty Corbin has yet to get his first win as head coach, and Utah has lost 5 home games in a row for the first time since 1982. Needless to say, things are not looking good for the post-Sloan Jazz.

Golden State Warriors

Golden State has been surging recently, winning 4 of their last 5 contests. What is particularly impressive is that the Warriors (26-29) have five wins in the month of February over teams above .500. Golden State hopes to reach that plateau themselves after the break, somewhere they haven’t been since November.

Phoenix has won four of their last five, but don’t be misguided by that statistic. They beat up on Golden State and wandering Utah squad, so they don’t necessarily mean that the Suns are back. Phoenix will be tested with a road trip after the break, we’ll see how they are doing after that.

Despite their hot start under interim coach Frank Vogel, the Pacers dropped back-to-back games heading into the All Star break. The winning did move them back into the playoff picture, currently sitting a game ahead of Charlotte for the eighth position in the East. Washington and a rematch with Detroit should give the Pacers an opportunity to build on that lead, and the Pacers roster will have plenty of rest over the weekend (that’s not a compliment).

Charlotte’s giant-killing ways came to a halt against the Bulls, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t hope moving forward under Paul Silas. The improvement has been so impressive that Silas got his contract extended through the end of the 2011-2012 season. Hopefully the winning will continue, even after the staff secured their positions full-time.

A homestead heading into All Star Break usually sets up perfectly for a talented team looking to climb back to the .500 mark. Instead, the Rockets lost 3 of 4 and enter the All Star game looking for nothing but answers.

One of the biggest problems for the Bucks has been getting things going offensively. Brandon Jennings being back has helped in recent weeks, but it’s the return of Carlos Delfino and John Salmons that should really get things going for Milwaukee.

Contrary to speculation, Blake Griffin still plans to take part in all of his All Star festivities this weekend. Rookie Challenge, Slam Dunk, and then the All Star Game on Sunday. When the Clippers take the floor again will he have anything left?

Detroit Pistons

Tayshaun Prince, has been playing some of his best ball of the season recently, but he is not trying to improve his trade stock. “I think I’ll be here for the rest of the year,” Prince recently said. Detroit has failed to pull off those upsets that make their games at least interesting, and will likely find themselves praying for grace from the Ping Pong Ball Gods come May.

Three game losing streak going into the break is tough to swallow for any fan base. But it can be even harder as the trade deadline approaches and Nets fans will likely see Carmelo Anthony head somewhere OTHER than the Izod Center. The Melo-drama likely did cost New Jersey some wins, but getting Anthony would have at least invigorated a restless group of Nets fans.

Aaaaand [deep breath] it’s done. After 25 straight road losses, Washington knocked off the Cavs in Quicken Loans arena to break a winless road streak that dated back to the 2009-2010 season. The Wizards have also continued to get quality production out of Nick Young, who along with Wall is making the foundations for a talented backcourt in the Capitol City.

The schedule has not been friendly to the Kings in February. All eight of their opponents have been a plus-.500 team, and thus seven of those games have resulted in losses for Sacramento.

The Raptors occasionally hang in the game in some of these losses, but the L’s are stacking up pretty quickly. Toronto has lost 17 of their last 19, and are 4-26 against teams with a better than .500 record. Close losses are still losses, and the post-Decision era is becoming almost as pitiful as Cleveland’s. Almost.

In just his third season, the ball-hawking Kevin Love will give the Timberwolves their first All Star game representation since Kevin Garnett. That’s about where the excitement ends in Minnesota these days.

The only disappointing thing about ending the league’s longest losing streak was the short celebration. Instead of turning the victory in a two-game win streak, Cleveland rolled over at home to let Washington get their first road victory of the season.