Defending champion Philadelphia (5-0), Milwaukee (4-1), San Jose (4-1) and Dallas (4-1) -- the same quartet of teams that made last year's playoffs, appear once again to be the cream of the crop in Season 30's MBA at the halfway mark.
Philadelphia, however, was dealt a serious blow in the all star game when the league's leading scorer, Cheetos Jones, was injured and will miss three of the next five remaining games. Lacking a point guard to replace Jones, the Phobia will turn to rookie Totes McGoats or Rob "Pitter Patter" Petrie, who was picked up from the cut pile.
Somewhat surprisingly, Philly was picked for third by both experts prior to the season. But the real shockers have been Houston (1-4) and Oklahoma City (0-5, both extremely disappointing when preseason picks are considered.
JONES LEADS LEAGUE IN SCORING AT THE BREAK
Third-year superstar Cheetos Jones has played his part for his new club the Philadelphia Phobia, leading the league with a 21.6 scoring average prior to falling to injury in the all-star game.
Superb rookie power forward, the 6-11 Gato Do Mato, has solidified the front line for Milwaukee with a league-leading 5.4 rebounds per game.
Another newcomer to his team, point guard Bull Bunson has made his mates better than expected with excellent ball distribution on the way to a league-leading assist total.
PHOBIA, SEATTLE DOMINATE ALL STAR SELECTIONS
As expected of a 5-0 team, the Philadelphia Phobia dominated all-star selections, placing four players, including two starters, on the mid-season all-star team.
The Seattle Stampede (2-3), picked in preseason polls as the league's worst team, also had four players selected for the star squad, led by second-year star Smokey Talisker. Not bad for a team that was earmarked for a winless season.
Meanwhile, for the first time in history, the disappointing Houston Iguanas failed to place a player on the all-star team.
WEST WINS FIRST BUZZER-BEATER IN ALL STAR GAME HISTORY
DALLAS - Oklahoma City rookie guard Jerry Curl hit a medium jump shot at the horn to give the Western Division all stars their fourth consecutive victory.
It was the 10th victory in the series for the West, with the East having 20 wins.
Max Payne of the home city Dallas Demons became just the second center (and the first since Mable Reed in Season 8) to win game MVP honors with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a pair of blocks.
But perhaps the biggest news of the game was the injury to Cheetos Jones of first-place Philadelphia, who is the league's leading scorer and led all scorers in the all-star contest with 23.
SEASON 30 RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCED
Just 12 players, including only two starters, announced that they will be hanging up the old gym shoes following the conclusion of Season 30.
The pair of big names who will not return include longtime starting guard Tipsy O'Sullivan of Dallas and starting all-star center Trey Bon of Charleston, who is having the best season of his career.
All three current Hall of Famers, Mamadou Zongo of Dallas, Boone Doggle of Philadelphia and Sagittal Occlusal of San Jose will return; Zongo for his 17th season.
