NBA Standings 2017-2018 Season: Complete Team Rankings and Playoff Predictions
Looking back at the 2017-2018 NBA season, I still get chills thinking about how unpredictable those standings were right up to the final weeks. As someone who's followed basketball religiously since the Jordan era, I've learned that regular season rankings don't always tell the full story, but boy did this particular season deliver some fascinating narratives. I remember checking the standings every morning with my coffee, watching teams like Toronto and Houston challenge the established hierarchy while traditional powerhouses faced unexpected struggles.
The Western Conference race was particularly brutal that year. Houston's 65-17 record still stands out in my memory - they were absolutely relentless with that Harden-Paul backcourt. What many casual fans forget is how close Golden State was behind them at 58-24, though I always felt the Warriors were conserving energy for the playoffs. Those Rockets games had this electric energy that made you feel like you were watching something special unfold. Meanwhile, Portland grabbing the third seed with 49 wins surprised quite a few analysts, myself included - I'd predicted they'd finish fifth or sixth.
Over in the East, Toronto's 59-win season felt different from their previous successful campaigns. There was a certain swagger to that team, though I'll admit I was skeptical about their playoff potential given their history. Boston's 55 wins despite losing Gordon Hayward five minutes into the season was coaching masterpiece by Brad Stevens. And Philadelphia's 52-win breakout season - remember "Trust The Process"? That was the year it actually started paying dividends in the standings.
Now here's where we connect to something interesting - while researching this piece, I came across a basketball story from another league that resonated with what several NBA teams experienced during that grueling 2017-2018 campaign. The article mentioned how "Lee, 35, hopes the holiday break will help rejuvenate skidding Magnolia." That exact sentiment applied to so many NBA teams during various slumps throughout that long season. I vividly recall Houston hitting a rough patch in December, dropping 5 of 7 games, and people wondering if they were collapsing. Similarly, Cleveland's mid-season struggles had everyone questioning if LeBron could carry them through. The All-Star break served as that crucial reset button, much like the holiday break did for Magnolia in that other league. Teams that managed to use that downtime effectively came back transformed - look at Utah's second-half surge from 10th to 5th place in the West.
The playoff predictions circulating that March were all over the place, which made the final stretch incredibly compelling television. Personally, I had Houston beating Golden State in the Western Conference Finals, though I underestimated how much that hamstring injury would impact Chris Paul. In the East, I was among the minority who believed Toronto would finally break through - though in hindsight, my prediction looks pretty foolish given what LeBron did to them yet again. The Cavaliers finishing fourth with 50 wins didn't tell the real story - everyone knew they'd flip the switch come playoff time.
What fascinates me most about analyzing that season's standings is how certain numbers deceive while others reveal profound truths. Oklahoma City's 48-34 record and 4th place finish doesn't capture the Russell Westbrook-Paul George growing pains. Minnesota squeezing into the playoffs at 47-35 after their 14-year drought doesn't convey how dramatic that final game against Denver was. Miami at 44-38 - that team fought harder than their record suggested.
The teams that missed the playoffs created their own compelling stories. The Clippers at 42-40 demonstrated remarkable resilience after the Blake Griffin trade. Denver missing out by one game at 46-36 - that loss to Minnesota in the season finale haunted them all summer. And poor Detroit at 39-43 - they never recovered from Reggie Jackson's early season injury.
When I reflect on that season's standings and playoff outcomes, the biggest lesson is that regular season success requires both consistency and well-timed resurgence from slumps. The holiday break analogy from that Magnolia story applies perfectly - teams that used breaks effectively, managed load strategically, and peaked at the right moment translated regular season success into playoff advancement. Houston's historic offensive rating of 114.7 during the regular season was magnificent, but their late-season injuries proved costly when it mattered most.
Ultimately, the 2017-2018 standings tell a story of transition in the NBA landscape. Golden State's dominance was being seriously challenged, Toronto's breakout regular season signaled changing Eastern Conference dynamics, and several young teams positioned themselves as future contenders. The playoff outcomes reinforced that while regular season standings matter for seeding and homecourt advantage, they don't guarantee postseason success - a lesson several top-seeded teams learned the hard way. Still, for pure entertainment value and narrative richness, those 2017-2018 standings provided basketball fans with six months of compelling drama before the playoffs even began.