After the unfortunate elimination of the Lakers from the series, basketball legend Magic Johnson said in an emotional statement: “Fans, I still can’t believe that LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant have all said goodbye to this season’s playoffs.” These words might also represent the collective sentiment of many fans. Indeed, since Stephen Curry entered the NBA in the 2009-10 season, this is the first time in league history that James, Durant, and Curry have all missed the second round of the playoffs. Time flies, and no one can stay young forever, and a new generation of players is gradually rising, but at this moment, the twilight of these three superstars seems to shake the soul extraordinarily.
Shortly after the Nuggets advanced, Nuggets player Murray recalled the past in an interview, saying, “When I was young, my best friend gave me a James jersey as a birthday gift. He has always been one of my most admired basketball idols. Now that I can compete with him on the court, I feel extremely honored.” This prompted James to share the interview on social media and replied, “He really is a pretty cool bad guy (sign of respect)!”
As for the Lakers’ season, there was much discussion after the matches, whether it was about whether the coach should be fired, how to organize the next season’s lineup, or the future direction of James. But perhaps the most discussed are the persistence and effort in the series. In the third quarter of Game 5, James twisted his left ankle during a layup. After struggling to stand up, he signaled to the coach and then adjusted his shoelaces. Although similar scenes have been seen with James many times, this time the traces of time were particularly evident.
Following the revealing of James’s amazing playoff do-or-die performance by ClutchPoints media—averaging 33.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game, with the highest average score in history—James’s performance seemed no different than usual. However, at the critical moments of the game, he could no longer operate solo as in the past, controlling every round; instead, he passed more to teammates like Reaves and Russell, indirectly participating in the offense.
After five intense series games, although the Lakers led for a total of 165 minutes and 32 seconds, far surpassing the Nuggets’ 58 minutes and 59 seconds, and ended the first half of each game ahead, they lost by a margin of 49 points in the second half. The Lakers’ tactic was obviously to take the lead early and build a lead in the first half; however, a decline in stamina in the second half highlighted a “catch-up” predicament in the game. It is worth mentioning that both James and Anthony Davis kept in good health, with James appearing in 71 regular-season games and Davis in 76, but despite this, they were not able to maintain consistency on both offense and defense throughout the entire game.
Some say, the sediment of years in a person is hard to disguise, and James is no exception. When questioned about plans for the next season, he said, “I am currently focused on my family. After completing this task, I will further focus on training camp for the USA national basketball team.” It can be seen that over the past two seasons, James has increasingly mentioned family, he not only returns to the locker room immediately after games to watch his son’s matches but also timely expresses his views on his son’s affairs with the media. Additionally, he is planning his final season dream of competing on the court alongside his son.
In this season, Stephen Curry won the honor of the Best Clutch Player Award. In critical moments during the regular season— the last 5 minutes of games with a score difference of no more than 5 points—Curry scored 189 points, ranking first in the league. In addition, in these same high-pressure situations, he achieved 59 field goals and 32 three-pointers, topping the league and setting a historical record.
However, even with Curry’s excellent performance, it couldn’t reverse the downward trend of the Golden State Warriors. Draymond Green seems to have shifted his focus to other projects, and Klay Thompson’s struggle was evident from his 0-for-10 shooting in a play-in game. The Warriors’ young players also have not grown into reliable aides for Curry. Just a year ago, Curry scored an incredible 50 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the first round of the play-offs, but a year later, facing the same opponent, Curry could only watch as the young Sacramento Kings took a commanding lead like untamed wild horses.
The ecosystem of the NBA changes quickly, with team iteration outpacing expectations. Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder were ranked eighth and tenth in the West, respectively, and this season, they have surged to the top three in the West, each sweeping their opponents 4-0. Notably, the last time the Thunder swept a series was in the first round of the 2012 playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. At that time, the Thunder team was led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, whose partnership was just beginning to shake the league.
Fast forward to 2024, we see LeBron James at 39 years old, Curry at 36, and Durant at 35, while Jamal Murray has made fans realize that surprises are the norm in the NBA with two buzzer-beaters. Fortunately, even if these veterans cannot lead their teams to further success in the NBA, basketball fans can still appreciate “The Last Dance” of this era—as during the play-ins, the USA Men’s Basketball team announced the roster for the Paris Olympics, including James, Durant, and Curry.
Regarding the announcement of the Olympic roster, Grant Hill expressed his enthusiasm and anticipation, “If this is the team we hoped for, then why wait?”
What’s more provocative is that Curry plans to invite James to join the Warriors before entering the free agency market and the commencement of the USA Men’s Basketball training camp. Although it’s unlikely, the move certainly raises the topic’s heat. Each generation has its own youth and passion, and what we are bidding farewell to is an era, and what we are welcoming is another new chapter.
