A Complete Guide to the Final NBA Standings for the 2017-18 Season
As I sit down to analyze the final NBA standings for the 2017-18 season, I can't help but marvel at how much the landscape has shifted since then. Looking back, this season was particularly fascinating because it marked the end of an era in many ways while simultaneously setting the stage for the league's future dynamics. The championship race felt wide open that year, with multiple teams genuinely believing they had what it took to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy.
When I first started tracking the 2017-18 NBA season, I remember thinking how the Western Conference was an absolute bloodbath. The Houston Rockets finished with what I consider one of the most impressive regular season records in recent memory - 65 wins and just 17 losses. That's the kind of dominance we rarely see outside of Golden State's championship years. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors surprised everyone by clinching the top seed in the East with 59 wins, proving that their system could thrive even without a traditional superstar carrying the load. What struck me most was how the final NBA standings reflected the strategic evolution happening across the league - teams were fully embracing the three-point revolution, and it showed in the win columns.
The context surrounding these final NBA standings reveals so much about team-building philosophies. Golden State, while "only" finishing with 58 wins, was clearly pacing themselves for another championship run. Having watched them closely that season, I noticed they never seemed fully engaged in the regular season - and honestly, who could blame them after back-to-back championships? Meanwhile, Philadelphia's Process was finally bearing fruit with a 52-win season and the 3rd seed in the East. I've always believed Ben Simmons' rookie season was crucial to their turnaround, even if his shooting limitations were already apparent.
For one, she takes it straight to the chin and goes on a deep dive into the nitty-gritty of such setbacks. This perfectly describes how several teams responded to adversity throughout the season. I remember being particularly impressed with how the Indiana Pacers handled Paul George's departure - they could have collapsed, but instead rallied around Victor Oladipo's breakout season to secure the 5th seed with 48 wins. Their ability to transform what looked like a franchise-crippling trade into immediate success story still stands out to me as one of the best front office achievements in recent memory.
The middle of the pack in both conferences told their own compelling stories. Miami finishing 6th with 44 wins demonstrated Erik Spoelstra's coaching brilliance, while Washington's 43-win 8th seed season felt like a massive underachievement given their talent. Out West, the battle for playoff positioning was absolutely brutal - Minnesota clawing their way to the 8th seed with 47 wins would have placed them 4th in the Eastern Conference. That disparity between conferences was something I kept coming back to throughout my analysis. The Western Conference had 9 teams with winning records compared to just 7 in the East, creating what I believe was one of the most unbalanced competitive environments in league history.
Looking at the bottom of the standings reveals just as much about team strategy as the top. Phoenix's 21-win season was painful to watch, but strategically sound as they positioned themselves for future drafts. Atlanta's 24-win campaign similarly reflected a franchise fully committed to rebuilding. What fascinated me was seeing teams like Dallas (24 wins) and Orlando (25 wins) embracing the tank while organizations like Detroit (39 wins) and Charlotte (36 wins) found themselves in that dreaded middle ground - not good enough to compete, not bad enough to secure premium draft position. I've always been conflicted about tanking, but seeing how Philadelphia's strategy ultimately paid off makes me more sympathetic to the approach.
The final NBA standings from that season also highlighted some surprising individual team performances. Portland securing the 3rd seed with 49 wins felt like an overachievement at the time, though their first-round sweep at the hands of New Orleans later revealed their limitations. Utah's late surge to 48 wins after losing Gordon Hayward demonstrated Quin Snyder's coaching mastery and Donovan Mitchell's immediate stardom. Meanwhile, San Antonio's 47-win season marked their lowest win total in two decades, yet they still made the playoffs - a testament to their incredible organizational stability.
When I reflect on the complete picture of the 2017-18 final NBA standings, what stands out most is how they captured a league in transition. LeBron's Cavaliers finishing 4th with 50 wins felt underwhelming by their standards, foreshadowing his departure to Los Angeles. Boston's 55-win season despite losing Gordon Hayward five minutes into their campaign showed Brad Stevens' coaching genius and established Jayson Tatum as a future star. The standings weren't just numbers - they told the story of franchises making calculated bets, teams overcoming injuries, and organizations making difficult decisions about their futures.
What I take away from studying these final NBA standings is how quickly fortunes can change in professional basketball. Houston's franchise-best 65-win season feels like ancient history now, given their subsequent decline. Toronto's conference-leading 59 wins ultimately convinced them to make the Kawhi Leonard trade that would deliver their first championship. The standings from that season weren't just a snapshot - they were a crystal ball showing us which franchises were building sustainable success and which were chasing fool's gold. Even now, years later, I find myself referring back to the 2017-18 season as a pivotal moment that reshaped the NBA landscape for years to come.