NBA Playoffs: New era incoming with Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry already out?

Anthony Edwards had already made a powerful statement at Footprint Center in scoring 40 points in Minnesota’s Game 4 closeout victory Sunday just two days after delivering 36 in Game 3.

The confident 22-year-old Timberwolves All-Star then told the Phoenix Suns where they could go with a series of expletives while walking back to the visiting locker room surrounded by camera folks following his every step.

This was Edwards’ first playoff series win in his fourth NBA season — and the continuation of a new era in the NBA?

Stephen Curry didn’t make the playoffs as Golden State lost at Sacramento in the 9-10 play-in game.

Edwards eliminated his basketball idol, Kevin Durant, in sweep fashion.

The next night, Jamal Murray sent LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers home with his second game-winner in Denver’s Game 5 stunner Tuesday to mark something that hasn’t happened in nearly 20 years.

For the first time since 2005, neither Curry, James nor Durant advanced past the first round while the likes of Nuggets big Nikola Jokic, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards have already led their teams to the second round this year.

Jayson Tatum is a win away from leading the NBA-best Celtics to the second round as they’re up 3-1 over the eighth-seeded Heat. Luka Doncic has the Mavericks knotted at 2-2 with the Clippers.

Joel Embiid and the 76ers are now down 3-2 to the Knicks as Embiid’s co-star, Tyrese Maxey, dropped 46 points in Tuesday’s 112-106 overtime to force a Game 6 back in Philadelphia.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with an injury, but he’s one of the most dominant players in the league. What they all have in common is their age — 30 or under.

While those guys are in their prime or knocking on the door of it, Curry, James and Durant are on the back end of their careers and currently on teams that aren’t championship contenders.

The Suns have three players in Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Durant due to make a combined $150 million next season and lack draft capital. The 37-year-old Durant just averaged 27.1 points in his 17^th NBA season, but the Suns have limited roster flexibility being over the second tax apron.

The Warriors are also over the second tax apron, too, with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green being 34 years old and Curry being 36. Curry still had a great season in averaging 26.4 points. He shot 40.8% from 3, and won NBA Clutch Player of the Year, but is on an aging Golden State team.

The Lakers aren’t as financially strapped like the Warriors and Suns, have an elite big in 31-year-old Anthony Davis and the 39-year-old James continues to defy age in averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in his 21^st season, but he has an opt-out on his contract this offseason.

Just think about that — 21^st season for James, who made his first playoff appearance in his second NBA season way back in 2005-06 with Cleveland.

The Cavaliers reached the second round before losing to Detroit in Game 7. James advanced past the first round every year from 2006 to 2018, winning two championships and two finals MVPs with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013 before not making the playoffs with the Lakers in 2019.

James made the finals an amazing eight straight years, winning three NBA titles, during that stretch from 2011 to 2018.

That 2019 playoffs, Curry and Durant reached the finals before losing to Toronto after winning back-to-back titles together as Durant won finals MVP in 2017 and 2018.

Durant advanced past the first round each year from 2011 to 2014 with Oklahoma City. The Thunder didn’t make the 2015 playoffs as Durant only played 27 games with a foot injury, but James and Curry met for the first time in the finals as Golden State beat Cleveland in six games.

Curry first made the playoffs in 2013 and reached the second round before losing to San Antonio in six games. The next season, the Warriors lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games, but Curry won his first NBA title in 2015 to begin a five-year run in which the Warriors advanced to the finals in each of those five years and won three NBA championships.

Golden State’s run to the 2016 finals went through Durant and the Thunder, who lost Game 7 to the Warriors in the Western Conference finals, but ended up losing to James and the Cavs in the finals in seven games. The next season, Durant joined Curry and the Warriors to win those back-to-back championships defeating James and the Cavs.

While James missed the 2019 playoffs in his first season with the Lakers, Durant and Curry reached the finals with Golden State before losing to Toronto. Durant suffered an Achilles injury in that championship series and missed the entire 2019-20 season in his first year in Brooklyn.

Now it starts to get tricky.

Curry only played five games in 2019-20 due to a broken hand. The Warriors missed the playoffs, but James led the Lakers to an NBA title in the bubble for his fourth championship and fourth finals MVP.

In 2020-21, Curry and the Warriors didn’t make the playoffs, James and the Lakers were eliminated in the first round by the Suns, but Durant advanced to the second round with the Nets, who lost Game 7 to the eventual NBA champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In 2021-22, James and the Lakers missed the playoffs, Boston swept Durant and the Nets in the first round, but Curry won his fourth NBA title and first finals MVP in leading Golden State past the Celtics.

Last season, James, Curry and Durant all advanced past the first round. Durant and the Suns fell in the Western Conference semifinals to the Nuggets, who eliminated James and the Lakers in the conference finals. Curry and the Warriors lost to James and the Lakers in the conference semifinals.

Now this year’s playoffs will continue without three of the best players of their generation and the faces of the league for two decades.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New era with Durant, James and Curry already eliminated from playoffs?