A New Era of NBA Basketball

What's not to like about this NBA Finals matchup? Perhaps the beauty of basketball is that players play both offense and defense. In the NFL, the key "match-ups" between players like Brady and Manning never truly occur as they do not line up across from each other. However, in basketball we get the two best players in the world, at the same position, defending each other for the world championship. It doesn't get much better than that.

People have high expectations for this series, and so far it has delivered. As we await Game 2 tonight, everyone anticipates the performance we will get from Lebron James. People wonder if it is his "time" to finally win a championship after years of disappointments. I'd like you to read and consider this thought that crossed my mind: throughout its history the NBA has come in eras. The 80s belonged to Magic and Bird (and for sake of argument, Isiah Thomas). They dominated the NBA throughout that era - no one else came close. Even the great  Michael Jordan, who broke into the league in 1984, had to wait his turn. He earned his first MVP (and Defensive Player of the Year award) in the 1987/1988 season however starting with that year, his Bulls lost three straight years to the Detroit Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas. It wasn't until the end of the 80s era that his Bulls would begin their run of dominance highlighted by a 3-peat from 1990-1993 and yet another from 1995-1998.

If this sounds similar to you, it should. Much like Jordan had to wait for Magic, Bird, and Thomas' era to end, Lebron has, in my mind, been waiting for another era to end. The era of the 2000s, following Jordan we saw the rise of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan. These men dominated the NBA for the last 10-12 seasons. This year we saw perhaps the last chance for that era to win one more end when Tim Duncan and the Spurs fell to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

The NBA is moving into its next era - one that will be dominated by names like Lebron and Durant. This will certainly not be the last time this decade that we see these two go head to head in the Finals - or at least we should all hope not. They no longer need to wait their turn. The 2000s' era has ended. Now has begun their time to win, their time to dominate. Now all we have to do is sit back and watch the tremendous drama and entertainment unfold.