End Of An Era?

We may have seen a changing of the guards in the NBA playoffs. The past 3 years have featured the same two teams, Los Angeles and Boston. The Celtics won in 2008 followed by back-to-back championships from the Lakers. Not only are they two of the most prolific franchises of the 2000's, but they are also the most successful franchises of all-time (17 rings for Boston and 16 for LA). The only other team that can be put in the argument for team of the last decade are the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs chalked up an incredible four finals victories from 1999-2007. Did you know that only one team besides the Lakers and Spurs have made the finals since 1999 (the Dallas Mavericks in 2005). It looked like the Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics would continue to cruise after all three earned top three seeds in the playoffs this year.However, it looks like none will live up to lofty title expectations. Could we be witnessing the collapse of all three dynasties.


Let's start with San Antonio. People have been calling for the Spurs' demise for years, but Tim Duncan and company just kept chugging along. No one expected them to dominate the regular season en route to the #1 seed in the West, but Coach Gregg Popovich's crew defied the odds. However, their great record masked the decay in Duncan's play. Considered by many to be one of the greatest Power Forwards of all-time, Duncan has been a steady force in the league since being drafted out of Wake Forest in 1999. This season, the 2x MVP saw his numbers plummet across the board. Without Duncan's inside presence, the Spurs were easily ousted by the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the 1st round (only the fourth time a #8 has defeated a #1.) Age and size will continue to be an issue for this team in the future.

Speaking of old age, The Boston Celtics are ancient across the board. When Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen teamed up with Paul Pierce four seasons ago, it looked like a match made in heaven. For the most part it has been, but now time is running out. The "Big Three" are all over 33 years old and their best big man (Shaq) is the oldest player in the league. Even with young superstar PG Rajon Rondo, the rest of the lineup doesn't have the youth and athleticism that it once did to compete with the top teams in the East. Even though they're technically still alive (down 3 games to 1 against Miami), I don't think this is it for the C's as far as title runs go.

While it's likely we'll have a new finals rep from the East, we do know that we'll definitely have a brand new West rep and champion after the LA Lakers were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks yesterday in the second round. Not only were they beaten, they were embarrassed. Dallas just demolished a team that appeared to still be the team to beat as recently as a month ago. Unfortunately for fans of the purple and gold, a lack of chemistry and hunger prevented them from getting their second 3-peat in an 11 year span. Kobe Bryant was far from his best and it didn't help that many of his team mates didn't even show up. Pau Gasol, who was a big reason for the last two Lakers' titles after he was traded from Memphis in 2008, was a shell of himself. It was reported LA Times writer Bill Plaschke that Gasol and Bryant didn't even talk during the series due to an off the court incident. , LA showed no class as Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom were all ejected for flagrant fouls. With the Zen-master coach Phil Jackson retiring, it appears a major overhaul is in order in Los Angeles.

With the three giants falling, I see some newcomers rising to the occasion. Look for the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, and the Oklahoma City Thunder to become the new top three over the next decade.