The San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics have made it deep into the playoffs. With their stars play declining, imagine the possibility of a Spurs, Celtics Finals matchup? Franchises, whose eras are coming to a close, facing off to see who can win it all.
The Spurs finished the season with an amazing win streak, now they are looking unbeatable and like the possible Western Conference Champions. They are facing a tough young team in the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are back in the Western Finals and hungry to bring a championship to Oklahoma City.
The Spurs are being carried by a 30-year old point guard who is still performing at a high level. The biggest surprise for this team has to be the way Tim Duncan, 36, has been playing and continued producing.
His numbers have been steadily declining along with his minutes played per game. Last season he only averaged 13 points a game, but the revitalized Duncan improved that number this season, averaging just over 15 points a game.
Manu Ginobili has been plagued by injuries this season. He has been coming off the bench as the Spurs try placing a balanced team on the floor. He gives them a great boost when he plays well. Most recently, scoring 26 points on the Thunder in Game 1 Sunday.
For the Celtics, their stars have been noticibly declining. The "orginal" Big Three is getting older. The youngest one, Paul Pierce is turning 35 in October. Kevin Garnett, who has been in the league since forever, entered his 17th season in the NBA and recently turned 36. Ray Allen is 36 turning 37 in July.
Allen has been the player with the most noticeable decline. Before arriving to Boston, he averaged above 20 points per game. Granted they were going to share the superstar responsibilities once the three came together, after the 2008-2009 season, Allen's scoring numbers have dipped steadily.
Injuries have not helped his case either. He has not been in the starting lineup anymore because his ankles have not allowed him to move around the way he once did.
With his contract expiring at the end of the season, many have wondered if Duncan was getting ready to hang up the jersey. He thinks he still has a two years left before retiring. He has expressed that he will not be leaving San Antonio.
As teams get younger however, these teams will have to take advantage of their chances right now. Young teams like Oklahoma City will only get better as the Spurs continue to age.
The Celtics are facing the Miami Heat, who have two of the best players in the league. Their young guard, Avery Bradley, is out with an inury. He was the perfect candidtate to stop a player like Dwayne Wade.
The Big 3 won a championship in 2008. That was the reason why they were put together. They were supposed to win many more, but lost in their last appearance to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010.
Duncan carried the torch after David Robinson and has won the team three championships after Robinson's departure from the NBA. Now, both teams need to spend sometime trying to reinforce the areas they are getting aging in.
This could be the last season these iconic ballers play in the same organization. They must win today because retirement is the inevitable option for a few of them in the following years.