By virtue of clinching the best record in the East, Atkinson has earned a spot as a head coach in the NBA All-Star Game.

The Los Angeles Lakers (23-18) are coming off a dominant win over the Washington Wizards (6-36) on Tuesday night, and as they prepare for a major showdown

Before meeting James for the first time this season, with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers set to clash Thursday, Horford shared the lessons he learned from the superstar, his perspective on James’ remarkable longevity and his thoughts on James’ longtime domination of the Eastern Conference.

James — a pick for 21 straight years — now has two more All-Star selections than anyone else in NBA history (Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time pick) and is three years clear of anyone else for the longest streak of consecutive selections. Kobe Bryant was picked for 18 consecutive All-Star Games, the second-longest such streak.

Darius Garland has been a revelation for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. The Cavs have been perhaps the biggest breakout team this season, leading the league and the Eastern Conference in total wins with a 36-7 record.

Just a few games shy of the season's midway point, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the NBA's best record at 39-5, and are six games ahead of the defending champion Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA revealed the starters Thursday night — some of them, anyway — for the revamped All-Star Game, and there wasn’t much in the way of surprises. James is officially an All-Star for the 21st year, and Antetokounmpo is now the ninth player to win the fan vote in back-to-back seasons.

The NBA on Thursday revealed the starters for the revamped All-Star Game, and there wasn’t much in the way of surprises. LeBron James is officially an All-Star for the 21st year.