Changing of the Guard

The NBA playoffs have been better than expected and as we close in on the conference semi's there are numerous storylines of interest, over the next few weeks there will be ample chances to breakdown the teams moving forward, but over the span off ten days we witnessed the changing of the guard in the Western conference as the Spurs and Lakers bowed out meekly in this year's postseason.

Either the Spurs or Lakers have won the Western conference 11 of the last 12 years, with only the Mavs and their Finals collapse vs. the Heat in '06 as the exception. The Spurs made the finals four times and won all four titles while the Lakers went to 7 Finals' and won the title 5 times. They were as reliable as Mark Paul Gosselaar being cast in a courtroom drama as the two franchises became measuring sticks for the rest of the league even as they went about their success differently.

LA has always been home to superstars and celebrities and the Lakers built their teams around that philosophy with the early title teams featuring a dominant Shaq and a young athletic Kobe, while the recent back to back title winning teams featured a dominant Kobe and an efficient Gasol. Even the Lakers role players were stars as guys like Rob Horry, Fisher, and Rick Fox made their names with title teams and few teams could bring in Karl Malone and Gary Payton to fill out a starting lineup late in their careers, while recent teams featured the Ron Artest comeback storyline and a guy in Odom who has his own reality show after marrying into the first family of reality TV. All of these Lakers teams have been coached by Phil Jackson and you could make the argument he is the biggest coaching "star" of all time. Memories of these Lakers team feature Shaq's dominant postseasons and Kobe's skill and will for the teams of the second half of the decade.

Meanwhile the Spurs have been the epitome of small market success building their team around Tim Duncan, great drafting, free agent values, and international scouting. You don't win in the NBA without stars and in Duncan the Spurs have had the best power forward in the history of the game since his graduation from Wake Forest. The Spurs drafted Parker and Ginobili and have stuck with both, even when a young Parker was thought of as a liability and Ginobili as injury prone. The Spurs role players don't have the big names of the Lakers' aside from Horry who played for both, but they have been equally effective from Steve Kerr and Captain Jack to Matt Bonner and Gary Neal. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has overseen it all and his military background shines through when watching how his team plays and how he conducts himself. After Duncan the image I remember most about this Spurs dynasty is the SI cover after the Finals in '07 with all five starters walking off the court together, always a unit "one for all and all for one".

When the Mavs won the west in '06 it felt like an aberration as Kobe was in his prime and capable of scoring 80+ points/game while Parker was turning the corner to join Duncan/Ginobili as a star. The Lakers upgraded from Smush Parker and Kwame Brown while the Spurs tweaked their bench as both teams unsurprisingly returned to their winning ways.

This season and especially the post season has been something entirely different. Even after the Spurs raced out to a commanding lead and the West's #1 seed they seemed vulnerable especially as possible opponents rested starters to lose games to draw them in round 1. Duncan and Ginobili were unable to carry the offense for long stretches and the lack of help down low made the once vaunted Spurs' post defense vulnerable. Popovich did an excellent job during the regular season behind a mirage of 3 point shooting and matchups as he was able to massage wins out of this group like a trusted mechanic getting a few extra miles out of dying car. After the first half of their game 1 series vs. the Grizz it was obvious that the Spurs were overmatched and only a Grizz collapse could save them. Even an amazing last 20 seconds to stave off elimination and get a win in Game 5 did little to change the conclusion as the Spurs were overmatched in Memphis during game 6. The Spurs continue to have the pieces to make the playoffs and maybe win a round of 2 over the next couple of years, but winning the West is out of the question in the near future. Few have been better than Duncan over his career and he will be equally hard to replace as the Spurs foundation and superstar. Consistency is one of the most cherished traits in sports and the Spurs had it and maybe they had less high and lows than some would like, less lead ins on Sportscenter and can't miss games, but they also didn't have articles on TMZ and dissension on and off the floor, but they are going to be missed, kind of like when your favorite syndicated TV show is taken off the air.

The Lakers were the prohibited favorite to win the West this year, they were the defending champs and the Kobe/Gasol nucleus was intact along with the Fisher, Artest, Bynum, Odom role players from a team that had been to three straight Finals. Even when they struggled for prolonged stretches during the season it was thought that they would "flip the switch" in the postseason. In hindsight game 1 vs. New Orleans should have been a sign that not all was right in LA. The Lakers were roughed up by a team with Chris Paul and that is it, it was also the first playoff series in some time where Kobe was clearly not the best player on the floor. The Lakers regrouped and beat the undersized and undermanned Hornets in 6 games as everyone waited for the switch to be flipped. I have heard the Mavs sweep over the Lakers compared to Chicago sweeping Detroit in '91, but in that instance Chicago was playing a heated rival who had their number and Chicago wanted revenge, in this instance the Mavs just outclassed the Lakers and left the Lakers in need of a new "era". The transition from the Shaq to Kobe era was a bloody coup, but it was necessary the Lakers were correct in going with the younger perimeter scorer and that decision allowed them to return to winning multiple championships almost immediately. After the beating the Mavs inflicted on them the Lakers are left to search for their new identity. It will be interesting to see how Kobe reinvents himself after being outplayed consecutively by Paul and Dirk, can Gasol be salvaged or is he really as mentally shaky as it seems after the rumors surrounding him this postseason, is Bynum a winning part of the nucleus or the punk he showed himself to be with his hit on Barea in game 4, is Odom incapable of being anything more than a frontrunner or the husband of a Kardashian (and not Kim or Kourtney's)?

The Lakers road back to the Finals depends on how Kobe reinvents himself and how quickly the Lakers can lure the next superstar to LA. The Lakers have had two superstars during the time Duncan has been in SA and that number could easily extend to three if Dwight Howard finds his way to the west coast over the next couple of years as expected. Even if another superstar is around the corner the end of the Lakers era as we know it is over as Phil Jackson heads to Montana and Kobe moves towards a likely role as veteran sage. While the Spurs were understated and consistent the Lakers were as up and down as a relationship with Paris Hilton, some parts brilliant other parts cringe worthy, but all parts consuming.

The NBA's future is bright as this year's postseason is displaying, witnessing the first of many Miami/Chicago and OKC/Memphis series' has/will be great and the rise of young teams like Atlanta, Denver and the resurgent veteran Mavs have all helped define this postseason. These teams along with father time have pushed out the Spurs and Lakers as we have known them and all that is left is their obituaries and memories.