Celtics First Half Review

As the NBA All-Star Weekend gets underway let's take a look at where the Boston Celtics sit in the Eastern Conference and other buzz circling the team midway through the 2015-16 season.

32-23: The Celtics enter the All-Star break at 32-23 and in the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With a game lead over the fourth seeded Atlanta Hawks and a two game advantage over the fifth seeded Miami Heat, the C's are nestled nicely into the top half of the Conference.

Streaking- Boston also enters the break on a nice run. In their last 10 games the team is 8-2, including an impressive overtime victory against the Los Angeles Clippers in their last action pre-break.

Still In Second- Despite the nice run to cap off the first half of the season, the C's still find themselves 4.5 games behind the All-Star Weekend host Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic division. Toronto has been exceptional in divisional play, as they enter the break with an 8-1 record over the Celtics, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, combined. Boston, on the other hand, is just 7-5 against the same opponents. With league bottom feeders Brooklyn and Philly in the division and a team like New York, who is in between coaches right now, the C's need to step up their play against clearly inferior teams to make a run at catching up to the Raptors.

All-Star Season- Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas is putting together a tremendous campaign, as he is the C's lone representative in Sunday night's All-Star game. On the year, Thomas is averaging 21.5 points, 6.6 assists and three rebounds per game. Playing in all 55 games so far this season,  Thomas is second among all point guards in the league in free throw percentage at 89.7 percent. He is also fourth in scoring per game and tied for seventh in assists per game among his contemporaries. The first time All-Star also capped off the first part of the season with a 36 point, 11 assist night in the team's 139-134, overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Thomas will also be starring in the Taco Bell Skills Competition, during All-Star Saturday night.

A Rising Star- Second Year guard Marcus Smart missed 21 games toward the beginning of the season with a lingering injury, but has played well enough to be honored with a spot on the U.S. team in Friday night's BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. Smart, who has averaged 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and three assists per game in 34 contests so far, has put up even better numbers as of late. Over the team's last 12 games before the break, Smart has averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and just under three assists per game, while also shooting 39.3 percent from behind the 3-point arc. He also bumped up his steals per game from 1.7 to 1.9, over that stretch. Smart's solid defense and ability to make big plays down the stretch has also helped elevate him in the eyes of many around the league.

Double Figure Crew- Part of Boston's first half success can be attributed to the depth the team has in the scoring department. The team currently has seven players averaging at least 9.9 point per game, which for all intents and purposes can be rounded to an even 10 points. Of those seven double figure scorers the C's have three guys averaging at least 14 points a night; Thomas (21.5), Avery Bradley (15.1), and Jae Crowder (14.1). The fact that Boston has seven guys averaging double figures speaks to the depth the team has and the ability of different guys to step up on any given night.

Adding To The Party- While the Celtics have put themselves in a good position for a strong end to the regular season and a post season birth, like any team, they can get better. The league's trade deadline is on February 18 and the C's are expected to be one of the teams making moves by 3:00 pm. that day.  Boston has already been rumored to be looking into many options for upgrades, but in my humble opinion, could really stand to acquire another legitimate scoring threat. While the team does have seven guys scoring at least 10 points a night, they really only can rely on Thomas to take big shots late in games. Adding another scorer, who is capable of playing off the ball and still creating quality scoring opportunities, could be just what puts the C's over the top. A guy like Gordon Hayward, who played for Boston head coach Brad Stevens in college at Butler University, seems to be a good fit for the team. Hayward, a five year vet, is averaging 19.9 points a game so far this season. His 6-foot-8 frame would also give the C's a late game scorer with height and the ability to dominate against bigger defenders, which Thomas sometimes struggles to do.

All in all, the Celtics have had a successful season thus far and look poised to do good things in the second half of the season. A long playoff run seems to be attainable for the club and depending on any moves they make by the trade deadline a bright future is still in the cards for this youthful team. The second half of the season should be quite the ride for Celtics fans everywhere.