We can dig deeper into NBA history and make a case that the accomplishments that have been done years ago still hold some solid weight to them. While that may be true, this new NBA era of basketball is one the most impressive eras we have ever seen. Records are being broken and new standards are being set.
Since 2010, 50 records have been broken and new records have been set. On the contrary, the league has changed drastically in many ways. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a dive back into our history books.
The Heatles
2010
In the summer of 2010, LeBron took his talents to south beach to team up with all-stars Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. What people may not realize is for the next three to four years teams had to adjust and build their rosters to contend with Miami as they became one of the more solidified big threes that kicked off the new decade. No disrespect to Boston’s original big three, but they joined on the back end of their Prime which attests to their sole championship run in ’08. This Heat team caused a lot of uproar around the league and posed many questions. It was the start of that ‘superteam’ era that either drove many of us away from the game or kept us entertained throughout the season.
MVP D.ROSE
2011
In 2011, Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history; something that would never happen back in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Rose managed to lead Chicago to a one seed at 22 averaging 25 PPG and 7.7 APG while shooting 48% from the field. Ultimately, he turned into the biggest ‘what if’ in NBA history after going down with a season-ending injury in the first round of the playoffs. Things pan out in mysterious ways, but somehow Rose ended up on both the good and bad side of history in this nba era.
The Warriors 5-Out Offense
2013-2019
Draymond explained this the best on the “All The Smoke Podcast” when going into detail about how teams back in 2016-17 couldn’t figure them out. But by the time 2018-19 came around, all these other teams were being built to beat them. When you really put it into perspective any franchise that has that much of an impact on the game has to be considered one of the greatest dynasties of all-time. The five-out offense was always there but it wasn’t popular nor did it have the effect it has in today’s game. The Warriors took this style of play and made it a trend globally.
This is still hurting the emphasis of the “big man” nowadays as it is more difficult to obtain a job if you’re a traditional big and over 7-feet and taller. Guys like Dwight Howard, Javale McGee, and Timothy Mozgov struggle to find their identity in the league as teams were becoming successful at running smaller lineups. This nba era hasn’t been easy for everyone.
The Emergence of Steph Curry
2009-CURRENT
From a coaching standpoint, I hate Steph Curry, but from a basketball fanatic, I love him. Trying to coach the younger generation while Curry has come up in the NBA is like pulling teeth. Curry is changing the narrative for guards in this nba era throughout the league.
It translated to everyone wanting to model their game after him and jack up threes from anywhere. Curry has made the three-ball an art. Before Curry, no one had the mindset and if they did, that type of playstyle was looked down upon. On a global aspect, Curry been an outlet to kids who aren’t physically there. He has changed the way we think of the game of basketball, and he’s put a struggling Warriors franchise on the map as they’ve been relevant for almost a decade now. All accomplished by a guy who came from Davidson where he received little to no college offers coming out of high school.
LeBron Breaking Records
2003-CURRENT
Everywhere we look Bron is breaking a record or making history. Since ’03 he’s been consistently building up his career and padding his resume along the way. Many think LeBron is the greatest ever, and while in some cases that looks likely, he’s in a league all on his own.
At 35, he’s third in points all-time, 8th in assists, 13th in steals, and has never averaged under 20 points a game. When do we take a step back and analyze how great he is? Doesn’t matter if you think he’s the goat or not; LeBron is doing things in his career people dream of. The scariest part is he was able to withstand The Warriors, the Boston Big 3, and the gritty Spurs. Three different styles of basketball that he adapted to and ran them into the ground at one point in time. This era of basketball takes on a lot of heat by other eras, but there’s no denying that this current era keeps on making history league-wide.
James Macey- NoLimitJumper
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