Thus ends the 2013-2014 NBA Season

If you missed this year's NBA finals, you may have missed what could possibly be the last time a team plays basketball the way it was meant to be played. The San Antonio Spurs play a brand of basketball that many fans may call "boring". A life-long Lakers fan myself, what I witnessed this post season with the Spurs was a thing of beauty.

Here's what ESPN's J.A. Adande had to say:

They're the best NBA team since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers have also won five championships in the time since Jordan finally dropped his shooting hand at the finish of the 1998 Finals. But the Spurs get the edge in continuity and longevity -- "the span," as Duncan kept calling it. The Spurs have made the playoffs for 17 consecutive years. They've won at least 50 regular-season games in every one of those years except 1999, when the lockout shortened the entire season to 50 games.

Did you catch that? 17 staight playoff appearances! Astounding. By now, you've surely heard all about the 5 championships Duncan has won over 3 decades; the redemption story from last years "heartbreaking" loss; the Spurs deep bench; and much more.

But take a step back. Look at the totality of not only what the Spurs have accomplished (as the numbers show above), but how they did it, and what it means for the league.

In a league dominated by "superstars" (debatable), rule changes favoring the offense, high scoring, flashy plays, athleticism out of the roof - there lie the Spurs. Flying under the radar, with Duncan at the center. Ginobili, a member of their "Big Three", coming off the bench. A league where at least one of the stars earns over $20 million a year, the highest paid Spur was Parker at $12.5 million. How about a core team and coach that has stayed together for 12 plus years?

These things don't happen in today's league. Stars jump around, look for a quick buck (and a quick championship). Who can blame them? With the success of the Heat over the past couple years, maybe that's the new formula?

Yes, I grew up in the 80's/90's era of basketball, so I have my biases. My intent isn't to belittle the current status of the league, rather to highlight the magnitutde of the Spurs success. Doing what they've done over the past few decades in a league heading in a very different direction.

The NBA is ever changing, but as an 80's kid, having seen the league change, let's not overlook the significance of this Spurs team. This is a basketball league. Good fundamentals are important, imagine that?! This is a team game. Money doesn't equate to winning. Shot attempts isn't the most important stat line. An unselfish team who celebrated an unlikely MVP in Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs built a team to succeed for years, not just next season. Enjoy this boring brand of basketball while you can, folks, who knows when you will see it again...if ever.