I grew up in the 1980s, when my Detroit Pistons were actually a relevant basketball team and the NBA used to run a promotional ad featuring celebrities declaring, “NBA Action, It’s Fantastic!” For roundball fans who appreciated great defense, hard fouls and less reliance on the 3-point shot, and were content with only a handful of teams competing for the NBA title, it was truly a golden age of basketball.
At the ripe age of 39, LeBron is still one of the top 10 players in the game. The Celtics’ Jrue Holiday, at 33, remains one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. And Doncic’s running mate, Kyrie Irving, has shown throughout these playoffs that he might be the best finisher at the basket in NBA history. But the real story of these playoffs is the breadth of young talent in the league.