I think these are odd years to say are "eras" in the NBA. '85 to '99? Those years encompass the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons and Bulls dominant teams so I'd have to go with that era I guess.
I went '85-'99 I'm guessing this is an 'era' as it was Jordan's years.
Although i HATED the Bulls and was a huge Magic/ Penny Hardaway fan, this was THE BEST years of the NBA. I remember being little and following just about every game on TV and waking up in the morning and reading the sports page and while eating my breakfast before school literally going over the box scores and looking at the standings for 30 minutes everyday. Great times.
I will say the NBA took a downward spiral around '02 or so.