We have arrived at the new age of the NBA.
As the league moves onto its semifinal round, gone are the likes of Steph Curry, LeBron James and the Boston Celtics. The teams and figures that have dominated center stage for the last 15-plus years have stepped aside this spring to make way for the next wave.
The NBA’s conference finals feature four relatively fresh faces in Minnesota, Oklahoma City, New York and Indiana. The Knicks are the only franchise of the four to win a title, and the last of those came more than 50 years ago.
Over in the East, the Knicks and Pacers are quickly rekindling a historically heated rivalry with their second series matchup in as many postseasons.
In the West, an entirely new trail is being blazed. In NBA terms, Minnesota and Oklahoma City are still infant franchises flush with youthful pillars.
Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid are 23, 24 and 25 years old, respectively. On the Thunder side, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are 23, 24 and 26.
In a league where stability is increasingly rare thanks to constant roster turnover driven by the wishes of players and the constraints of the salary cap, this series feels like the start of something special.
But shouldn’t it be considered more of a continuation? Minnesota, after all, was just in this round a year ago. The same is true for Indiana. The Timberwolves are, stunningly, the first team to reach back-to-back Western Conference Finals since 2019.
But few seem to remember – or, at least, care – about that. History doesn’t pay much mind to the losers at this point of the postseason.
As Minnesota learned a year ago, reaching the conference finals does little to write your narrative. What you do during them does.
For the Timberwolves, this is about proving they’re legitimate championship contenders rather than a final hurdle en route to the title bout. The “Bridesmaid” narrative can consume you quicker than you’d think.
For the Thunder, this is about giving legitimacy to everything they’ve accomplished over the past two regular seasons, and proving they are the big, bad machine the stats suggest they are but other opponents may not always perceive them to be.
For Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, this is about proving they can, indeed, be key cogs on title teams, rather than guys who can help you win a round or two.
For Mike Conley, this is about not having every conversation about his legacy ending with the sentiment that “it’s too bad he never won a title.”
For Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s an opportunity to discard the “Who’s next” conversation and solidify “Who’s now.”
Edwards has never been an all-star starter or First-team All-NBA or sniffed an MVP conversation. By outplaying the presumptive winner of the League’s highest individual honor in this year’s regular season, Edwards would cement himself as a member of the NBA’s group of top five players.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has dominated the association for two years running, and yet it’s always Edwards who’s discussed as the next “face of the league” or the second coming of Michael Jordan. Charisma and quotes are cool and all, but results ultimately rule the world. If the Thunder win the title, it will require some real mental gymnastics to believe the NBA belongs to anyone other than SGA.
The more immediate issue is who is set to take ownership of the West?
These two teams are deep, defensive-oriented, talented and tough. They are the ones who have grabbed the torches from the stars and dynasties of old and are carrying the NBA’s fire forward.
The way they’re constructed, it would surprise no one if Minnesota and Oklahoma City met numerous times in similar situations down the road.
But this current impasse between the two sides will determine the present hierarchy, the narratives, the champion. Stakes rarely exceed such heights.
Welcome to the Western Conference Finals.
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