End of an Era?

[Gongxi]

I like the Celtics being considered as a '2000s' team. They literally came into the league as contenders in 2008.

So that means they aren't a 2000's team?

Umm...yes.

[Yangsing]

It's kind of weird saying the team of the 2000's. Seemed like just yesterday

[knicksosmoove]

Ya'll are sleeping on the Knicks. Give 'em some time to stew, they'll be good next year.

(plus they've matched up well against the Bulls and Heat this season)

[JNelson43]

Even if they don't make a move the Lakers are going to be contenders... a couple of moves and the Celtics can be too. They face any team other than the Mavs, the Lakers are probably in the Finals again this year. They met a bad match-up and they melted down, for various reasons.

So yeah, people are really overplaying the "end of an era" angle. New contenders are coming up, but the Lakers and Celtics can still win.

[LGND2552]

The era we're talking about really only started in 2008. The Spurs are always linked in with "this" end of an era but 2008 was really the time they were transitioning out. The Celtics and Lakers weren't relevant until 2008 and while the Lakers constitute a 'decade' team there's a pretty large gap in between their two runs. Orlando also emerged onto the scene beginning in 2008, and Cleveland only emerged briefly prior.

7 finals appearances in 10 years? Not trying to be a homer, but I'm pretty damn sure the Lakers are easily a 2000's team. Do you have to make the finals 10 times out of 10 to be considered a 2000's team? They missed the finals 3 years in a row, that's not a "pretty big gap". Most teams don't make it to the finals once in a decade lol.

[Alex Trevelyan]

Even if they don't make a move the Lakers are going to be contenders... a couple of moves and the Celtics can be too. They face any team other than the Mavs, the Lakers are probably in the Finals again this year. They met a bad match-up and they melted down, for various reasons.

So yeah, people are really overplaying the "end of an era" angle. New contenders are coming up, but the Lakers and Celtics can still win.

No one is overplaying the end of an era angle. Teams get old. When someone comes out and says the Lakers and Celtics and Spurs are in decline, they're simply stating a fact. The Spurs and Celtics in particular have already overstayed their relevancy. Some fans just assume this will last forever. Teams decline and these particular teams have a lot of red flags telling you they ARE declining. Downward trend lines as the season progressed. Fatigue. Injuries. Structural weaknesses (Spurs inability to guard the rim; Celtics lack of size, rebounding, interior defense; Lakers lack of athleticism, etc, these problems aren't going to be fixed with a little tweaking, sorry.)

Someone give me an example of a declining team that lost its crown one year, then regained it against a younger upstart the next? If anyone thinks the Lakers or Celtics or Spurs are regaining the crown against younger, more athletic squads that beat them in the playoffs this year they are fooling themselves. It doesn't work that way.

[SmooveMelo]

Still bashing on the Knicks? For what reason?

[SaveOurBullets]

The era we're talking about really only started in 2008. The Spurs are always linked in with "this" end of an era but 2008 was really the time they were transitioning out. The Celtics and Lakers weren't relevant until 2008 and while the Lakers constitute a 'decade' team there's a pretty large gap in between their two runs. Orlando also emerged onto the scene beginning in 2008, and Cleveland only emerged briefly prior.

7 finals appearances in 10 years? Not trying to be a homer, but I'm pretty damn sure the Lakers are easily a 2000's team. Do you have to make the finals 10 times out of 10 to be considered a 2000's team? They missed the finals 3 years in a row, that's not a "pretty big gap". Most teams don't make it to the finals once in a decade lol.

Oh yeah, they and the Spurs are 2000s teams. It's just that the "2000s" teams that are begininning to fall off this year all emerged in their current form around the same time (2008). The Lakers' run is basically split into two.