We come from an NBA era in which there were three great icons that dominated the competition at will: Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. That competition no longer exists. The legacy has been passed on to the new stars.
Just as Jackson Storm overtook Lightning McQueen, Nikola Jokić overcame Lebron James, Anthony Edwards edged Kevin Durant, Luka Dončić outplayed Kawhi Leonard and Shai topped Stephen Curry.
A generational shift in the NBA:
The regular season had already hinted at what the playoffs, or the absence from them (in some cases), have confirmed. For the first time since 2004 Lebron, Curry or Durant will not take part in the second round of the playoffs.
In addition to all of this, there is also the decline of the great stars of the last few years, such as Kawhi Leonard (32 years old), Harden (34 years old), Chris Paul (38 years old), Klay Thompson (34 years old) or Lillard (33 years old).
The longevity of the three stars throughout their NBA careers is undeniable and they continue to perform at an impressive level despite their age, as Lebron James averaged nearly 28 points in the first round at 39 years old; Kevin Durant, 27 at the age of 35; and Stephen Curry, 26 in the regular season along with nearly five three-pointers per game at 36.
This very regular season, a 25-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the first seed in the Western Conference and dominated Stephen Curry, both offensively and defensively, in multiple instances during the final stretch of the game.
At 23 years old, Anthony Edwards and his Timberwolves clinched the third seed in the west after competing for the leading slot over the course of the entire season and, in spite of that, they managed to sweep the Phoenix Suns in the first round without much effort. The star of the Wolves also left some memorable images against Kevin Durant, who could not stop him.
Funnily enough, ‘Ant’ has confessed that Durant is his favorite player on numerous occasions and, after the series was over, the forward did the same and admitted that Edwards happens to be his.
At 25 years of age, Dončić and his Dallas Mavericks took down (in spite of the Slovenian obviously suffering from discomfort on his knee) the Clippers, who are the perfect representation of the end of the road for the golden generation of the 2010s: Kawhi Leonard not being able to take the court due to injuries and performing badly in the two games he apppeared in, James Harden and Paul George alternating good performances with days in which they just cannot score and Russell Westbrook as a protagonist in all the fights that took place in the matchup.
A 29-year-old Jokić, who is part of an older generation than that of the previously mentioned young stars, is the best player in the world and seems to have Lebron and the Lakers completely figured out, as he has beat him in 13 out of their last 14 matches and knocked him out in two consecutive years (4-0 and 4-1, respectively).
The NBA keeps on producing stars and the great generation we have grown up with is stepping aside for the younger players to take their place. The time is up for our old rockstars.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: @Lakers.
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