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Descriptive statistics is a branch of statistics that deals with the description and summarization of collected data. It involves various techniques and tools to present data in a meaningful way, allowing for a clear and concise understanding of the information. It includes measures such as central tendency, variability, and distribution shape.

One of the basic steps in descriptive statistics is organizing the data in a specific order, which is often necessary for calculations. For example, when calculating the median in our basketball team height exercise, the first step is to arrange the heights in ascending order. This kind of organization is key for descriptive statistics as it simplifies the process of finding other statistical measures as well.

Central tendency is an aspect of descriptive statistics that refers to the way in which quantitative data tends to cluster around a central value. The main measures of central tendency are the mean, median, and mode. Each of these measures can provide a different perspective on the typical value within a set of data.

The median, which is the central value in an ordered list, represents the point at which half of the observations lie above and the other half below. The median is particularly useful as it is not influenced by extreme values or outliers, which could distort the interpretation of the data set. As in our basketball team height problem, the median gives us a realistic representation of the team's height because it is literally the 'middle-man', unaffected by the heights that are unusually short or tall.

Statistical measures are the numerical values used to summarize and describe the salient features of a collection of data. These measures fall into two categories: measures of central tendency, which we've touched upon, and measures of variability, such as the range, variance, and standard deviation, which shed light on the spread of data points.

In the context of the median height calculation for the basketball team, the median itself is a statistical measure that communicates a very specific piece of information about the distribution of the team's heights. It tells us that, after ordering the players from shortest to tallest, the player in the middle represents the median height, giving an immediate sense of the typical height on the team without getting distracted by the variability among the players' heights.