In the era of young people, when the playoffs entered the semi-finals, they were all teams led by young superstars.

On May 19, a youth storm was being staged in the 2025 NBA playoff semi-finals. The average age of the four teams, the Thunder, Pacers, Timberwolves and Knicks, is less than 26 years old, but it has overturned the league structure with a devastating momentum. When 38-year-old Curry and 35-year-old Durant were eliminated in the first round one after another, the new generation of stars announced with their eye-catching performance that the era of young people has arrived. The rise of the Thunder is a textbook reconstruction template. Chet Homgren, 22, averaged 23.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in the playoffs. The 2.16-meter unicorn redefined the standards of modern centers with accurate shooting outside the three-point line and terrifying frame protection in the penalty area. Shea Gilgers-Alexander, 24, has evolved into the top five superstar in the league. His signature hit rate of emergency stops is as high as 51.6%, and he repeatedly staged a good show of riding alone to save the master in the fourth quarter of the key battle. The Thunder management has built a young core through precise drafts and cooperated with veteran Hayward's locker room leadership, making this team with an average age of 25.3 years old the number one seed in the West. The Pacers in the East perform the more extreme youth offensive basketball. Thales Halliburton, 26, leads the playoffs with 12.8 assists per game. His backcourt double-gun with 23-year-old Benedict Mathulin can score terrifying efficiency of 118.3 points per 100 rounds. The "seven-second offensive" system created by head coach Carlisle makes the Pacers the fastest-paced team in the playoffs, with averaging 126.4 points per game 5.7 points higher than the regular season. What's even more amazing is their bench depth, the second team led by 22-year-old Isaiah Jackson, has a net score of +8.3 in the playoffs. This "Youth Storm + Wheel Battle" mode has left the aging Celtics running in the semi-finals. The transformation of the Timberwolves originates from the intergenerational inheritance on the defensive end. 23-year-old Anthony Edwards showed super potential on both offense and defense, and his counterpart defense suppressed his opponent's shooting percentage to 39.2%, while also scoring 28.4 points per game. But it was 25-year-old Jaden McDaniels, who had a 2.13-meter-span, which allowed Doncic to plummet the second-round series shooting percentage to 41%. It is worth mentioning that the three core members of the Timberwolves (Edwards, McDaniels, Reed) have a total annual salary of only US$45 million. This "quality contract + defensive culture" team building idea is subverting the traditional superstar group model. The story of

Knicks is full of romantic colors of grassroots counterattack. Jaylen Brunson, 24, became the playoff scorer as the second round pick (average of 31.2 points), and his true shooting percentage of 57.3% even surpassed Curry during the same period. Around him, 22-year-old Quentin Grimes interprets the ultimate form of a 3D player with a 39.1% three-point shooting percentage, while 25-year-old Mitchell Robinson guards the Madison Gardens penalty area with 4.8 frontcourt rebounds per game. This team without a lottery show has become the second-class defensive efficiency in the playoffs with the "Iron Blood Basketball" created by Thibodeau. The collective outbreak of these young teams is by no means accidental. The scientificization of the modern basketball training system allows players to mature in advance, and the development of sports medicine allows the age group to withstand high-intensity competitions at the age of 20-25. More importantly, the changes in salary rules - the 2017 version of the labor and capital agreement introduces a rookie designation clause that allows teams to lock in potential new stars at a more favorable price. The Thunder also has three rookie maximum salaries from Homegren, Alexander and Jewish, and this salary dividend window is the financial basis for their rise.

Data analysis shows that the top four teams are in the top four in the league in terms of "contribution value of core players under 25 years old", with a total of 187.3, 23% higher than the total of other playoff teams. These young people are not only gifted, but also show their wisdom in playing beyond their age. Edwards took the initiative to defend Jokic at the last moment of the second round G7. Halliburton gave 74 assists against the Bucks in the series, which only made 9 mistakes, which proved the new generation of stars' new understanding of the game.

This intergenerational replacement is reshaping the alliance ecology. The veteran teams have begun to accelerate their youthfulness. The Lakers traded the first round pick for the Thunder, and the Warriors exchanged Wiggins for Mathurin, which all showed the strategic shift of the traditional powerful. The scouting system has also changed, and more teams have begun to pay attention to soft indicators such as "basketball IQ," "learning ability," and "Thunder General Manager Presti publicly stated: "We are more concerned about whether players can quickly understand tactics in the video room, rather than physical test data. "

What young forces bring is not only a breakthrough in record performance, but also a revolution in viewing. The last four teams have 7.4% higher rounds than the league average, with three-point shootings accounting for 43.2%, and their conversion offensive scores have increased by 19%. Edwards' violent dunk, Halliburton's no-look pass, and Homgren's chase hat, these visually impactful images spread wildly on social media, making the playoff ratings this season hit a new high since 2018.

But youth is not without its price. In the last two minutes of the Western Conference Finals G3, the Thunder made four consecutive sideline mistakes exposed the key ball risks of the young team; the Pacers' excessive reliance on fast breaks led to only 38 points in the G1 position battle in the semi-finals; the Timberwolves Edwards averaged 4.3 mistakes per game, indicating that decision-making ability still needs to be polished. These tuition fees may still make the title of the champion suspense, but make the game full of infinite possibilities.

When the sunset on the Denver Plateau shines on Jokic's lonely back, and when the applause from Boston Gardens gives Tatum the final final defeat, we clearly see that the NBA's power map is undergoing earthquake-like reconstruction. These young people write the basketball bible of Generation Z with tireless running, ignoring conventional creativity and domineering attitude of no one else but me.. No matter who can win the O'Brien Cup in the end, the 2025 playoffs are destined to be a watershed in league history - here, youth is not a promise of the future, but a reality that is happening at this moment.