The take has been everywhere. For even casual followers of the NBA, it's impossible to miss what's happening this postseason.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Jimmy Butler and Chris Paul have all been sent home. A few of the above didn't even make the playoffs.

And with several of the remaining stars in or shy of their prime, it's easy to see this as a changing-of-the-guard moment.

Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson and 22-year-old Anthony Edwards are up next.

And the way they're playing is eerily similar to some of our favorite stars from the 1990s. Edwards is drawing Michael Jordan comparisons, and they're not outrageous. The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are facing off again, which can't help but remind us of the battles between Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller.

And those aren't the only things generating 90s vibes. These games are more physical. The participants haven't been chummy. The biggest names left are reminding us of their predecessors.

Below, you'll find our comparisons to 90s legends for the best stars still standing, but bear in mind that each of these players is his own man. Their games are unique. So think of these comps as more of a "shades of" approach than an apples-to-apples one.

And as you peruse the list, enjoy the YouTube-fueled trip down memory lane.

Jalen Brunson: Tim Hardaway

We'll start in the Eastern Conference with Knicks flamethrower Jalen Brunson, whose short and stout build (relative to NBA standards) is reminiscent of the early- to mid-90s version of Tim Hardaway.

Brunson has rapidly developed into a higher-volume scorer than Hardaway was (though the slower, grittier game of the 90s influenced that). And the predecessor was more of a defensive ball-hawk than the successor.

But you can see the similarities when you spend a little time with Hardaway's highlights.

The game has obviously changed over the last 30 years. Brunson may be a tad more comfortable in the floater zone than Hardaway was. And Hardaway was actually getting up more threes relative to era than Brunson.

Again, the comp isn't perfect, but the similarities in size, lead ball-handling and the way they navigate the floor through narrow, winding driving lanes are there.

Jaylen Brown: Reggie Lewis

Reggie Lewis only played a handful of seasons in the '90s prior to his tragic passing during the 1993 offseason, but he made an All-Star team in 1991-92 (his age-26 season) and looked like a viable torchbearer to take the Boston Celtics from the Larry Bird era into whatever was next.

He was a bit more slender than Brown, but the two Celtics wings had similar frames. Lewis was 6'7", while Brown is 6'6". Both brought positional versatility on defense. And both enjoyed rocking the rim off two-foot takeoffs.

Lewis wasn't the three-point shooter Brown is, but that was likely a product of the era he played in. In today's game, his shooting and point forward potential likely would've been more developed.

Luka Dončić: Allen Iverson

This is one of the tougher assignments of this exercise. In the 90s, there really weren't any players who operated quite like Luka Dončić.

Michael Jordan led the decade in usage percentage, but even his 33.3 in that category trails Luka's career mark. And he wasn't the same kind of high-volume distributor Dončić is either.

When you add Luka's career marks for usage and assist percentage, you get to a whopping 78.0. In the 90s, Jordan was at 56.1. At 58.0, Grant Hill was a little closer. And he was one of the pioneers who prepared the league for today's point forwards. But he didn't command near enough of his team's offense to work either.

The player we settled on may seem a little off the wall, but don't worry. There's a reasonable explanation.

Though only four of his seasons happened in the 90s, he's the only player from that decade with a 30-plus usage percentage and a 25-plus assist percentage. In those days, that was an outrageous combination of scoring and playmaking responsibility. And in today's league, has taken command of his team's attack in a way few contemporaries have.

It's not quite as dramatic now that Kyrie Irving is his teammate, but for years, Dončić engineered just about everything on the offensive end of the floor. His isolations, pick-and-rolls, forays into the paint and stepback threes dominated the Dallas Mavericks' possessions.

And AI had to do a lot of the same during his early years with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The way Iverson produced was obviously much different than Luka. He was undersized and created most of his openings with guile and quickness. Luka is far more reliant on size and strength. AI's era was much bigger on mid-range shots than today's game.

But both were elite ball-handlers for their size and position. And, as already noted, they often had to do everything for their team's offenses.

Anthony Edwards: Michael Jordan

No, Michael Jordan comparisons aren't fair. Plenty have been labeled the next MJ, but no one's ever truly taken on his mantle.

Injuries derailed Grant Hill (who may have been more Larry Bird than Jordan). Kobe Bryant had the aesthetic and competitive parts of MJ's game dialed in, but he was the No. 2 on his first three title teams, and his impact never quite reached Jordan's level. LeBron James has a reasonable GOAT argument, but his game had a lot of Magic Johnson to it.

That brings us to Anthony Edwards, who may check more boxes in this impossible pursuit than anyone else we've seen over the last quarter century.

The visuals are undoubtedly there, and seemingly everyone is noticing during this playoff run.

The almost maniacal competitiveness is in place, too.

"That's my brother," Edwards told reporters of fellow Georgia Bulldog Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after Minnesota's Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets. "That's my brother. That's my big brother, for sure. And I'm trying to tear his head off."

It's more than words, too. You've seen the ferocity in high-leverage moments during this postseason. From the way he taunted KD in Round 1, to the way he dunked on him at the end of that series, to the way he took over Game 1 against the reigning champions, it's clear he has the finisher's instinct.

As for the impact, it's almost scary how close Edwards is on that front.

In his age-21 and -22 postseason, Jordan averaged 35.4 points in 43.7 minutes, while posting a 48.0 effective field-goal percentage and a 10.5 box plus/minus.

At the same age (this postseason and last), Edwards is at 32.5 points in 39.9 minutes, with a 57.8 effective field-goal percentage and an 11.1 box plus/minus.

Ant will be his own player. And again, comparing him to MJ could look pretty unfair in a few years. But given what he's shown us so far, it's not crazy to at least mention it.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Paul Pierce

This is another one that may be a bit surprising at first glance, but that may be because we remember the 2000s and 2010s version of Paul Pierce a bit more than the 90s versions.

He only had two seasons during that decade, but he still played with the methodical, mid-range heavy game we came to know later. At that point, he just had a bit more explosive athleticism to go with it.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is certainly a higher-volume scorer and distributor than "The Truth," but he also piles up his numbers with a sort of patience and precision similar to a young Pierce. He does plenty of damage in the mid-range, too. Both were good at getting to the free-throw line. And Pierce's high steal rate lends itself to the comparison, too.

Rudy Gobert: Dikembe Mutombo

Rim protectors of the 90s weren't used on offense like they are today. Playing for teams that focused on what Rudy Gobert did well on that end make his offensive numbers significantly better than Dikembe Mutombo, but it's still easy to see why this comparison makes sense.

Gobert is about to join Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only four-time Defensive Player of the Year winners in NBA history. His timing, instincts and discretion in the paint have made him a one-man defensive system much like Stephen Curry or James Harden have long been one-man offenses.

Mutombo was similarly dominant on the defensive end of the floor and will likely end up with the higher block average because the 90s game featured a lot more guards challenging bigs inside (while today's game features a lot more threes).

Tyrese Haliburton: John Stockton

Tyrese Haliburton's game is understandably a bit more modern than John Stockton's. He gets threes up at a far higher rate, and he calls his own number on offense a bit more, too.

But the ability to manipulate an opposing defense, the willingness to find the open man and the regularity with which he passes are all similar to the all-time assist leader.

Over the last two seasons, Haliburton's age-22 and -23 campaigns, he's put up 20.4 points and 10.7 assists. At the same age, Stockton wasn't a starter, but he averaged 11.0 points and 10.4 assists per 75 possessions.

Kyrie Irving: Mark Price

This is another comp that may come as a bit of a surprise, but that's mostly because Mark Price is probably a little underrated among all-time guards.

His peak started in the 80s, but Price had three top-10 MVP finishes and three All-NBA nods in the in the 90s.

Like Kyrie Irving, he dominated more with skill than size or athleticism. He could play the 1 or the 2. He was often a high-end second option. And one of the ways he's underrated is in the lack of appreciation for his crafty finishing around the rim.

Like several of the other comparisons here, this one isn't perfect. And the modern half of the equation puts up numbers in higher volume (thanks in large part to the evolution of the league), but there are plenty of parallels between these two Cleveland Cavaliers legends.

Nikola Jokić: Tim Duncan

There's at least one pretty obvious difference here. Tim Duncan was an all-time great defender. Nikola Jokić is an all-time great offensive engine.

But both players were masters of low-post play, took relatively obscure franchises to their first NBA championships and have a quiet approach to the game and life that is unique to the NBA.

On top of that, Jokić has said he'd like to be the "Tim Duncan of the Denver Nuggets." His coach, Michael Malone, has compared Jokić's selflessness on and off the floor to the legendary Spur.

Their games might be different (Jokić will likely never be the defender Duncan was, nor was Duncan anywhere near the shooter and passer Jokić is), but their approaches and impact on their franchises were strikingly similar.

Donovan Mitchell: Mitch Richmond

Donovan Mitchell dominated Game 7 against the Orlando Magic on Sunday with 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists, forcing his way into this exercise over Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

And he did so while continuing to look like the modern, higher-volume version of Mitch Richmond.

Both combo guards were capable of sort of shapeshifting from lead scorer to lead playmaker, often within the same game. Both could dominate opposing guards with a combination of strength and the ability to play low to the ground. Both could launch from that low center of gravity into explosive finishes. And both could score at all three levels.

Jamal Murray: Kobe Bryant

Jamal Murray is obviously listed as a point guard, but he might actually function as much as a 2 in the halfcourt, thanks to the playmaking of Jokić.

That's the more technical basis for the comparison to Kobe Bryant, but this is mostly about the Mamba Mentality. And there are few players in the league who personify that quite like Murray right now.

In the game's highest-pressure moments, Kobe wanted every opportunity to personally push his team over the top. He rarely deferred in those moments.

Murray is similarly wired. In 2020, he helped his team erase two different 3-1 series deficits in the playoffs. On the way to a title, he averaged 21.4 points and 10.0 assists in the 2023 Finals. He just hit two game-winners in a single series in this year's first round.

Over the last two regular and postseasons, in "high" and "very high" leverage possessions, he's averaged 26.6 points and 8.0 assists per 75 possessions.

And beyond the approach to the game's biggest moments, Murray shares a few other similarities with Kobe. Both had dynamic post games and post footwork for guards. Both accepted No. 2 roles alongside all-time great big men. And both had two of the prettiest fadeaway jumpers you'll ever see.

Jayson Tatum: Grant Hill

Hill was more of a creator and passer than Jayson Tatum, but the Boston Celtics forward is developing on that front. He's averaged at least four assists in each of the last four seasons, and put up a career-high 4.9 in 2023-24.

Tatum is more of a high-volume scorer and outside shooter than Hill ever was, but that may be as much a product of the era he plays in as anything else.

The real reasons for this comparison are the similar sizes of these two forwards (both are listed at 6'8") and the business-like manner with which they approach the game.

Injuries obviously changed the course of Hill's career, but in the 90s, he defied convention for a player his size. He moved and handled the ball like a guard, but he could rebound like a big and defend multiple positions like a wing. All of the above could easily fit into a description of Tatum.