So the only thing that defines an era is how many times a particular player gets knocked out before the Finals? And Lebron got pushed to 6 or 7 in a series before the Finals every year but 2011, and even that year Boston and Chicago both were real series.
Bill Russell, Jerry West, Magic, and Jordan all had stretches were they rep'd their conference about as often as Lebron has now.
Keep going back.
Celtics went 12 out of 13 years in the 50s/60s. Faced the Lakers 7 years out of 8, Hawks 3 out of 4, and Warriors the other two. Lakers had three straight trips again right after that too.
George Milan Lakers won 5 out of 6 years in the 40s/50s.
Starks as a star? 35-year-old Stockton? Going to the Finals with Barkley and KJ as your big two?
1990s had parity because it was the expansion era and teams were diluted as hell. Most contenders were a superstar, a sidekick, and a couple strong role players. Some of those teams had starters who'd have trouble making a roster today. How did Terry Teagle get a Finals start for the 1991 Lakers? Who filled out the frontcourt with Barkley on the 1993 Suns? Who started at center for the 1996 Sonics? How were the Bulls/Jazz in the 1998 Finals when their starting guards were a combined 135 years old?
Because he was a lazy player who feasted on being naturally athletic and either exploding past weak competition or doing a 10-15 second backdown into the post. . He was 1993 athletic, but that's nothing in 2016. You don't see 6'6" guys in the league today with the muscle definition of Samoa Joe. And his skill set was great for a forward of his time, but forwards like like Lebron/Anthony Davis/Durant/Giannis/Kawhi show so much more skill today. What of Barkley's skill set is 2016 elite? Plus he didn't try on defense whatsoever and never developed a shot.
Not an era that actually required you to develop your game.
"According to Williams,
Allen Iverson wasn’t the only Sixer who hated practice, because Barkley was the laziest teammate he ever had.
He was always late to practice, and even came in eating McDonalds on numerous occasions. He would ride an exercise bike while watching teammates practice, screaming profanities at them.
Williams says he saw Barkley practice three times in the two years he played in Philadelphia."
