Defense was played, anthems were awkwardly sung, three-pointers were missed and NBA All-Star Weekend is in the books. We’re now well past the midway point of the NBA season, and the All-Star break marks a turning point for the league into the final stretch.

With the trade deadline left behind and rosters (mostly) locked, the final push for the postseason and an NBA championship is underway. Just over 20 games remain in the season for most teams, and playoff seeding and lottery picks are on the line. There’s a lot going on in the NBA, and that yields some big questions. Here are 10 of the biggest NBA questions, asked and answered, as the regular season approaches its end:  

Will LeBron and the Cavs make it out of the Eastern Conference?

The last time LeBron James failed to advance to the NBA Finals, he was still in his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, the writing’s on the wall for his second stint in Cleveland to come to an end.

But before LeBron can hit free agency this summer for The Decision: Part 3, he has at least one more shot at a title with Cleveland. However, the current Cavs roster might be the most ill-equipped for a title run since his return. Without Kyrie Irving, LeBron has to shoulder much more of the workload for the Cavs but with a revamped roster and younger personnel, the Cavs are looking a lot more dangerous.

The problem lays in the Cavaliers’ road to another championship, which looks more difficult than past years. The Kyrie Irving trade shook up the structure of the Eastern Conference and more teams can contend. The Boston Celtics look like title contenders, the Toronto Raptors look improved from past seasons, Victor Oladipo has made the Indiana Pacers a tough matchup, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are leading promising teams from Milwaukee and Philadelphia. In the West, the Warriors look just as unbeatable as they have in past years.

But the Cavaliers still have the best player in the world. Until LeBron proves himself human, Cleveland will make it out of the Eastern Conference. There have been usurpers to LeBron’s Eastern throne before–from Derrick Rose’s Bulls to the Indiana Pacers to the Raptors–but like Tywin Lannister, LeBron has dealt with them all.

What’s the best possible outcome for the NBA playoffs?

The best case scenario for the NBA is always to have the most interesting and talented teams advance, which would mean another Warriors/Cavs NBA Finals. The rivalry would feel incomplete without LeBron getting another shot at the Warriors before he (probably) moves on to another team.

Leading up to a Finals rematch, the best possible matchups are Thunder/Warriors and Cavs/Celtics in the conference finals. The quasi-beefs between Russell Westbrook/Kevin Durant and LeBron/Kyrie provide an added layer of interest to already interesting series from a basketball perspective.

In the East, the NBA would be relieved to see young superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid advance to at least the second round. In the West, the talent is so deep that pretty much any combination of teams could make for an interesting playoff series

Are the first-place Raptors worth fearing?

Can anyone beat the Warriors?

This question has been plaguing the NBA since Kevin Durant joined the Warriors last summer. The unfortunate answer is probably, no.

The Warriors, since going 73-9, have continued to improve their roster. Last season, they infamously added Kevin Durant. This season, they’ve added Jordan Bell and Nick Young, who’ve rounded out their rotation nicely.

At this point, not even an injury could derail the Warriors. Before, maybe losing Draymond Green would set them back, but now with Jordan Bell to step into that role, Golden State may be unbeatable. Their roster is so deep and their system is built so well to withstand injury, that it’s hard to envision them losing.  

In the Western Conference, the Thunder, Timberwolves, Rockets and Spurs all have the talent to compete with Golden State. But beating Golden State four times in a seven-game series is a tall task, especially when the Warriors are capable of erasing deficits in such a short period of time.                      

Which borderline team would be the most fun to have in the playoffs?

There are a lot of candidates here. The Detroit Pistons’ elite frontcourt duo of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond would be refreshing to watch in a game dominated by perimeter threats, and the more Stan Van Gundy is in front of a microphone, the better.

The Utah Jazz would also be a lot of fun in the postseason–maybe the first time anything from Utah has been called fun. Slam Dunk Contest winner Donovan Mitchell has been a revelation in his rookie season with the Jazz, and the Mitchell/Rubio backcourt would be interesting to watch against the Rockets or Warriors in the first round.

But the borderline team that would be the most fun to have in the NBA playoffs is the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers currently sit seventh in the East with Miami and Detroit trailing closely behind, and the league will be better off if they’re able to hold on to a playoff position. On and off the court, Joel Embiid is one of the most entertaining people in the league. Australian point-forward Ben Simmons is also doing extraordinary things in his rookie season, and the Sixers’ supporting cast is good enough to give the best teams in the East a tough time.

What’s the most interesting NBA beef right now?

Now that the Westbrook/Durant feud looks to have subsided after the All-Star break, the league will be searching for its next cornerstone beef. While Westbrook/Embiid shows promise, their potential for future encounters in the playoffs is so low that it loses points of interest.

The most captivating beef right now is the internal struggle between LeBron James and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. LeBron was able to revamp the roster at the trade deadline, but his prospects for remaining in Cleveland remain low.

Since LeBron’s return to Cleveland, things have been awkward between Gilbert and the King. They won a championship together, but strongly-worded letters written in comic sans are hard to forget.

This beef also has the potential to go from medium-rare to well-done. Dan Gilbert is rumoured to be thinking of selling the team and seems unconcerned with keeping LeBron around. If things don’t go well for the Cavaliers in the playoffs and LeBron decides to dip, this conflict could get even more interesting.

Which team would benefit most from tanking?

Without Kristaps Porzingis, it’s the New York Knicks. When Porzingis was in the lineup, the Knicks looked like a playoff team and a potential contender in the future.

Porzingis’s season-ending injury is terrible for New York, but they could make the best of a bad situation. Adding another future piece could be just what the Knicks need for a championship foundation, and tanking for a high draft pick could provide just that.

New York currently sits 11th in the East with 22 games remaining, but their capacity for losing has vastly improved. The Knicks have lost their last 8 games and could fall even further before the season comes to a close.

Who should win MVP?

Which currently-injured player will the NBA miss the most?

There are far too many candidates for this answer and hopefully, we’ll avoid any more before the season ends.

Kristaps, John Wall, Gordon Hayward, Kevin Love and Mike Conley are all worth mentioning, but Demarcus Cousins will be missed the most. The Brow and Boogie frontcourt duo was just starting to show signs of improvement when Cousins went down.

The size and skill of Cousins and Davis could have been a tough matchup for a lot of the West’s best teams in a seven-game series. Few teams can match up with Davis and Cousins down low, especially with so many teams built for a perimeter-centric game.

Update: 100% forgot Kawhi Leonard existed while answering this question

Which team is most likely to take the next step by the time the playoffs end?

In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks are a team that could step up and become a title contender. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a generational player and the supporting cast is strong enough with Jabari Parker and Eric Bledsoe to potentially take the next step.

In the West, the Denver Nuggets continue to look promising. With Jamal Murray progressing his game quickly and Nikola Jokic doing it all, the Nuggets could breakthrough into the upper echelon of Western Conference teams before the season ends.