The Earvin Edit

The All-Star break has concluded, and the rest of the regular season remains. What surprises does the final half of the season have in store?

Written by Earvin Adjei

With over 50% of the NBA season already played, we are heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Some teams have dominated from the jump, while others are just finding their footing. Whatever the case, the finish to this season looks to be a fun one. Here are some predictions 

Spurs snatch OKC’s 1 seed

Through the first 25 games of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder sat atop the Western Conference with a 24-1 record and on pace to surpass the 2016 Warriors’ 73 regular-season wins. Since that hot start, they have gone 19-13 and, even more concerning, lost four of five matchups against the Spurs. San Antonio has won each of those games by an average of 11.8 points and has an edge over the reigning champs. They are only 2.5 games behind OKC for the first seed and have a far easier remaining schedule than OKC, which has the thirdest-toughest remaining strength of schedule with games against playoff teams, including Denver three times and Detroit twice. With Jalen Williams and SGA in and out of the lineup with injury and the Spurs seemingly ahead of schedule when it comes to title contention, don’t be surprised if San Antonio’s young core snags the one seed in a loaded Western Conference. 

Cade Cunningham brings home MVP

The Pistons were a pleasant surprise last year, making the playoffs and giving the Knicks everything they had in a competitive six-game series. This year, they made an even larger jump, with not only the best record in the Eastern Conference but the best in the entire league. The engine behind this team is its star point guard, Cade Cunningham, who averages 25.5 points, 9.8 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game. In addition to leading his team in scoring, Cunningham is just barely behind Nikola Jokić for the league’s assist leader. There has been no obvious MVP choice this year, with both Jokic and SGA missing time with injuries. When healthy, both of them are viable MVP options, but Cade has been the healthiest all season. The NBA has not had an American-born player win MVP since James Harden in 2018, and who better to do it than the frontman for the best team in the league?

Rockets fall apart

During the All-Star break, Rockets star Kevin Durant was exposed for allegedly being behind a burner Twitter account that sent alarming messages about teammates both past and present. Among his current teammates mentioned were Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün. When speaking about the two, the alleged Durant burner laid down some harsh criticism about the two Rockets players. If the rumors are true and Durant is behind this account, things are sure to be awkward in the locker room. The Rockets have had on-court chemistry issues all season, specifically in clutch time. Clutch time in the NBA is the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, with a score difference of five points or less. During these periods, the Rockets are scoring 1.08 points per clutch possession while allowing 1.17. Houston has also shown a tendency to blow huge leads. During a three-game stretch in December, they blew a 25-point lead to the Pelicans and lost 125-124 in OT to the Kings. Both games were on the road, but collapsing against two bottom feeders in the Western Conference is not ideal. Houston’s late-game offensive issues can be traced back to its lack of any real playmaking. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in the offseason sideling him for the entirety of the 2025-26 season. Without VanVleet or any real playmaker, their offense looks clunky. To make matters worse, center Stephen Adams will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. Adams was a veteran presence who Houston relied on to grab offensive rebounds and rim protect. Between off-court issues, injuries, and offensive woes, the Rockets’ unraveling to finish the season is something that is on the table. 

Jayson Tatum returns and leads the Celtics to the Finals

The Boston Celtics have been able to remain one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum being sidelined all season with an Achilles injury. Jaylen Brown kept the C’s at the top of the Eastern Conference while having a career year, averaging 29.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, which all mark career highs. Head coach Joe Mazzulla has the team dialed in defensively with a 111.6 defensive rating, which is top five in the league. The team even addressed their lone concern of a post presence when they traded for Nikola Vučević at the trade deadline. Vučević is a veteran big man who will not only add rebounding and rim protection but also floor spacing as he is averaging 37.9% from beyond the arc. All of these things are setting up a potential return for Jayson Tatum to be all the easier. Tatum suffered an Achilles tear in May of 2025 and has been rehabbing. The star forward began returning to on-court activities around late September 2025, with videos showing him running and shooting. By late February of 2026, he progressed to full 5-on-5 scrimmage work, which has only further fueled speculation that he will return in time for the playoffs. Coach Mazzulla has refused to answer questions involving a Tatum return, but Tatum, on the other hand, has not been shy about his desire to return. If it’s up to Tatum, he will return, and if Tatum can return at anything close to full strength, the Celtics can definitely come out of the East. 

Cooper Flagg becomes the youngest player to drop 50

During a December 15 game against the Utah Jazz, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg scored 42 points and became the youngest player to reach that mark. A little over a month later, Flagg upped the ante and dropped an astonishing 49 points against the Charlotte Hornets. At only 19-years old, Flagg had made NBA history as that was the most points ever scored by a teenager. Why stop history there? Brandon Jennings is the youngest player to score 50 points in an NBA game, doing so at 20 years and 52 days old, but Cooper could do so at only 19. Flagg is just scratching the surface when it comes to his offensive game, yet he already has two 40-point games under his belt as a rookie. With Kyrie Irving officially out for the rest of the season and Anthony Davis shipped off to Washington, expect Flagg to have the green flag for the rest of the season. Dread it. Run from it. Cooper Flagg 50 ball will arrive.

James Harden finally conquers his playoff demons

James Harden is on the move yet again, this time taking his talents to Northeast Ohio. The Cavs traded for the 11-time all-star, hoping he would immediately improve their title chances. Whether Harden proves Cleveland made the right choice or not remains to be seen. Harden is a notorious playoff dropper, with meltdowns as recent as least years playoffs where he dropped 7 points on 25% shooting from the field in an elimination game against the Nuggets. Despite all this, Cleveland can finally be the place where Harden puts all his playoff choker labels to rest. The roster in Cleveland is one of the best Harden has ever played on and will allow him to take a step back and fully embrace the playmaker role. With Donovan Mitchell as the primary ball handler and a frontcourt consisting of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Harden can ease himself of scoring pressure and focus on playmaking with a mix of iso ball when needed. The argument can be made that he was expected to do the same with the Clippers and failed, but the largest difference here is that the question marks surrounding the health of teammates stars alongside Harden simply do not exist here. In a weakened east anyone could make a run to the conference finals, and the Cavs have been on the verge for years. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell both have something to prove this year, and if it’s ever going to happen for Harden specifically, it’s here, and it’s now. 

Lakers fall to the Play-In

The league’s favorite Hollywood story will close out this season in dramatic fashion. The Lakers’ season to this point has been dramatic to say the least. The team began its 2026 campaign without LeBron for the first 14 games as he dealt with sciatica. During this span, L.A. went 10-4 with Luka Dončić leading the league in scoring and Austin Reaves averaging well over 20 points per game. Many questioned whether LeBron’s eventual return would disrupt the team’s rhythms and whether he could accept a reduced role. The answer to those questions has been complicated. The Lakers’ defense has been notably worse with LeBron on the floor. Both their defensive efficiency and on/off Net Rating are down with him on the court. James is 41 and can’t be expected to defend at the same level, but the problems don’t end there. The emergence of Austin Reaves and the Lakers’ focus on Luka has caused some drama off the court. In January, Klutch Sports CEO and LeBron’s agent Rich Paul suggested on his podcast that the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves to the Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr., arguing that the move would serve the team’s need for a defensive anchor. Paul is his own man, and his words shouldn’t be tied to LeBron, but the optics look bad here. And in more LeBron drama, an article was published in January detailing behind-the-scenes issues between owner Jeanie Buss and LeBron. The reported issues stem from what Buss felt was LeBron overdoing his influence. Ownership felt LeBron deserved more of the blame for the failed Russell Westbrook trade, as well as more gratitude after L.A. drafted his son. It was also mentioned that Buss considered trading LeBron in 2022. Both parties have denied the rumors, but it still does not look great. In the backdrop of the mess is the fact that the Lakers have not played well against the league’s elite teams and are falling fast in the Western Conference. They have a losing record against teams above .500 and sit at 34-21 in the West, with the Suns not too far behind them. This team is bad defensively, lacks three-point shooting, and has distractions off the court. All of this is a recipe for disaster, and don’t be shocked if they fall to the play-in.