So with all that being said, their journey's starting all the way back in the 2018 season where Luka will be joining a stacked Celtics roster that's ready to contend for a title, as he'll be sharing the floor with Kyrie Irving to form a deadly one-two punch.

But maybe most importantly would be his one-year head start over Tatum, who's going to enter the league next year as he still has to play one season overseas for Luka's old Real Madrid club.

So to focus back on the NBA, we would see the Celtics dominate, storming to the second seed off the strength of Luka's 19 points and 7 assists per game, as well as the veteran Kyrie who's averaging 26 points and 6 assists of his own.

So when you combine that with the other players on the squad, it would be no surprise that in the postseason, the Celtics would make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where both Luka and Kyrie will run into one of the toughest obstacles that they'll ever face.

That being LeBron James, who'd take not one, not two, not three, but four games to end Luka and Kyrie's promising season with a sweep.

Is anybody really surprised, honestly?

With that being said though, while it's not really an ideal finish to Luka's rookie year, he still has plenty of time to bounce back and win a championship.

However, he's not the only young star with that goal, as Jason Tatum would be making his long-awaited entrance into the NBA, immediately taking the league by storm with his scoring ability, as well as becoming the bridge to a new era for the Mavs, as he's now joining the team during the final season of the legendary Dirk Nowitzki's career.

But we have a competition to track, and the 2019 season would be totally different for each of these guys.

As with the Celtics roster being among the best in the league, they'd storm past Philly, Washington, and the real-life champion Raptors to make it all the way to the finals for a showdown with the Steph and Kevin Durant Warriors.

While on the other hand, Tatum's first playoff run would be short-lived, as he'd run into the Pelicans featuring Anthony Davis, who would send him home in the first round.

So while eventually he will contend for a title, it's not going to be today.

But if we shift our focus back to Luka in the finals, he's not ending off the season as a champion either.

You have to remember who he's up against.

It's the Super Team Warriors featuring Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, which automatically makes the Celtics massive underdogs, which even then may have been generous, as this one's eventually ending off at a sweep.

Luka and Kyrie had an all-time run just to get here, but right now they're falling short.

And to make it even worse, they've played their final game together, as Kyrie will be leaving the Celtics entering next year, and because it's 2020, it's about to be the weirdest one yet.

As it all starts off with Tatum getting some help with the debut of Chris Stapps Porzingis, as well as the development of Jalen Brunson, while he himself would improve all the way up to 28 points and just under 8 rebounds per game.

On the other hand though, Luka, who's now without Kyrie, would take on even more of the scoring load, up to a whopping 33 points, along with 10 boards and 8 assists per night.

Now setting us up for the postseason, where the Mavs would be the 3-seed, and the Celtics would be the 1st in the East.

But here's where it's about to get tricky.

As both teams would be chasing the NBA Championship in the bubble in front of no fans.

And on top of that, both Luka and Tatum would be going up against two powerhouses in the playoffs.

As in the second round, Tatum would find himself staring down the real-life champion Lakers, led by LeBron.

Who would go back and forth with the Mavs and JT, to the point where the series would be tied up 3-3.

We have the first game 7 of Tatum's career, obviously there's a ton on the line playing LA.

If he can take down LeBron and potentially have a finals run, that will be wild.

While Luka on the other hand, would be up against the Brooklyn Nets in the conference finals, featuring Kevin Durant and his former teammate Kyrie.

Where the Celtics would run out of gas and be sent home in 6th.

So with Luka's run now officially over, we have to focus back on Tatum exclusively for his game 7 against LeBron.

Where both stars would take care of business as they usually do, and with the help of their sidekicks, it's only right that this one would be extremely close.

As the Mavs would enter the final stretch of the game, only up by 2 with just 90 seconds to play.

Now giving Tatum the chance to take over in the clutch, and send a message to the rest of the league by taking down one of the greatest players ever.

We have a 2 point game, Tatum with the ball, 90 seconds left.

Tatum with the crossover, the spin, another spin, half spin, fade away, huge shot in the lane.

Tatum and the Mavs, if they can hold on to this 4 point lead for just a while longer, they're making the Western Conference Finals.

A step back by LeBron at the elbow, it's good, it's not over yet.

Don't count them out, they were the champions in real life.

Tatum with the ball, crossover on LeBron, has the step, drives on AD and draws the foul.

Tatum made the first free throw, second free throw is good.

It's now a 4 point game, 1.10 left in game 7.

LeBron with the crossover, isolated on Tatum.

Good defense by him, but he gets all the way into the paint.

The pivot, the layup, it's good.

Here we go, Tatum, does he have a response?

Number 77, looks really weird.

Driving to the basket, I thought that was a floater, but apparently it was the worst, most poorly timed lob in the history of basketball.

And LA gets a lob on the other end.

Horrible turnover from Tatum.

LA calls timeout, 40 seconds left.

I don't know what that was.

Luka might have been able to make that pass, I'm not gonna lie.

I thought that was a floater, I don't know.

Tim Hardaway Jr. with the shot of his life.

I wasn't even ready for that, nobody was.

Very strange sequence of events.

They're about to throw it in.

They throw it into Rondo.

LeBron is on fire.

KCP launches one.

Offensive rebound by LeBron, and he draws the foul.

Now, if we're being honest, LeBron might miss one.

He makes the first.

LeBron's floated around 74, 75%, probably, off the top of my head.

It's good, he makes both.

Here we go, 30 seconds left in game 7.

This is what we play for.

The crossover by Tatum.

Snatch back, another crossover.

He's just kind of pulling a Julian Newman right now.

Brunson with the pull-up, it's good.

Tatum right now, setting up his teammates.

Back-to-back buckets from Hardaway and Brunson, two-point lead.

So just like that, the Mavs would be up by two, with 20 seconds left to play.

Now one stop away from a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

But at the same time, the job's not finished.

And if that's going to happen, they'll have to get one more stop.

LeBron with the ball.

LeBron, 20 seconds left.

Being guarded by Tatum, he gets all the way to the basket and draws a foul.

LBJ at the line, two huge free throws on the way.

First one is off.

LeBron misses the first free throw.

LeBron, second free throw, trying to cut it down to one.

Missed the first free throw.

The 75% I threw out earlier, it actually came true.

Here we go, Dallas has to foul, or Dallas will be fouled.

The pass over to Brunson.

What is LA doing, wasting time?

Brunson made the first free throw.

He makes the second.

I'm not going to lie, Tatum's been a little bit fortunate.

That his teammates have been playing really well.

I'm not saying that as a slight on him, but right now he's going to be tested.

They pass it over to LeBron.

Deep three over Tatum.

It's good.

What a shot from LeBron.

He's being mobbed by the bench.

So just like that, we have a tie game with five seconds left.

And I'll spare you the suspense.

The play is being called for Tatum here with a chance to send LeBron home with a bang.

Probably should have fouled off by three.

Tatum with the ball from half court.

What is he doing?

Drive, do something.

Deep three for the win.

It's off.

What just happened?

We're going to overtime.

Dallas fumbled so hard.

And with that missed shot, we'd have a few more minutes of Tatum and LeBron's back and forth.

Leading until the final minute and a half of OT.

With the Mavs now down by three.

And again, a trip to the conference finals on the line.

Can they pass it down to Tatum today?

What are they doing?

Tatum's coming up off the screen wide open.

The best look he's gotten all night, probably.

LeBron with the ball.

A stop will go a long way.

LeBron with the spin.

LeBron driving.

Great defense by Tatum.

Tatum with the defense.

He gets the stop and the rebound.

There we go.

The redemption arc.

He has AD on him.

He's driving on AD, being aggressive.

And he gets blocked.

Okay, calm down.

35 seconds left.

That could have been a momentum killer.

KCP with the ball.

Rebound by, I thought Anthony Davis had that.

Tim Hardaway Jr. with the most important rebound he's ever grabbed in his entire basketball life.

Here we go.

A trip to the conference finals on the line.

Tatum with a chance to take the lead.

He pulls up.

He misses it.

He smokes it.

Rebound by Rondo.

LA's not calling a timeout.

LeBron's wide open.

He doesn't take the three.

He turns it over.

The defense by Porzingis.

Seven seconds left.

Vinny Smith with the ball.

Driving on Kuzma.

And he's fouled.

What just happened?

LeBron with the turnover in the clutch.

He had a wide open three.

He pulled to Ben Simmons.

He passed it up after he hit the contestant one earlier.

First free throw's good.

Dorian Vinny Smith at the line with a chance for a two-point lead.

It's good.

LA calls a timeout.

And it just so happens to be their final timeout of the game, which means that with one more stop,

Tatum's advancing to the next round.

Does LA have another miracle shot in them?

Here we go.

KCP was wide open.

Somebody's got to get it in.

Here we go.

KCP.

It looks like he's going to launch it from downtown.

It's good.

There's no way.

Dallas is going home.

What just happened?

I actually can't believe it.

So with that heartbreaking loss, Tatum's heading home despite having the chance to close it out multiple times.

And with Luka being eliminated as well, it seems like for both of our stars, the NBA bubble was just another roadblock in their way of a championship.

But it's because of those failures that the 2021 season would be our most important one yet.

As with each comfortably sitting over 30 points per game, we'd see the both of them in their respective conference finals, with the Mavs up against the Pelicans and Boston heading all the way down to Philly.

So for the very first time, both Luka and Tatum have made it to the conference finals.

If they can both handle business, then they'll be playing each other for the trophy.

Obviously, that's what we're trying to see.

And let's keep it short.

They both take care of business as Tatum would defeat the Pals in six, and Luka would very easily fly past Philly with a sweep, which means that the 2021 NBA Finals would be a matchup between two of the most promising stars of the modern game.

One of the two is walking away with their first title.

And this one definitely has a little more meaning to it when you consider the aging stars of the past whose careers are on the back end.

So whoever wins the title here will definitely have a good case for future face of the league.

And it's only right that because of that, we would see an all time back and forth.

Tatum's Mavs would take Game 1, followed by Luka in Game 2.

Another win for JT in Game 3.

And in Game 4, you guessed it, Luka would bounce back to tie up the series 2 to 2.

And the rest of the series would never be the same.

As in Game 5, we'd see the back and forth come to a halt, as Luka would be the first to win consecutive games, going all the way in Game 5 to go up 3 to 2, while also making major history in the process.