I still remember opening my laptop that June evening, watching the Golden State Warriors complete their sweep against Cleveland. The confetti raining down at Quicken Loans Arena felt like the perfect bookend to a season that had been both predictable and full of surprises. Looking back at the 2017-18 NBA season standings and final rankings reveals a fascinating story about dynasties, surprises, and what happens when expectations collide with reality.

That season began with most analysts predicting another Warriors-Cavaliers finals matchup, but the journey there was anything but straightforward. Houston’s 65-17 record wasn’t just impressive—it felt like a genuine threat to Golden State’s dominance. I remember thinking during their 17-game winning streak that this might finally be the year someone dethroned the Warriors. Meanwhile, Toronto quietly put together a 59-win season that somehow flew under the radar nationally, while Boston’s 55 wins came despite losing Gordon Hayward just five minutes into their season opener. The Eastern Conference standings told a story of resilience, with teams like Philadelphia making their first real playoff push behind Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

What fascinates me most about examining the 2017-18 NBA season standings and final rankings is how they capture moments that felt seismic at the time but now read differently with hindsight. LeBron carrying that Cavaliers team to 50 wins and the finals might be his most impressive coaching job—I mean, leadership job—given the roster turmoil they experienced. The midseason trades, the locker room tension, it all should have sunk them. Yet there they were in the finals again. The Western Conference playoff race was particularly brutal—Denver missed the playoffs with 46 wins, which would have been good enough for sixth in the East. I still think about that sometimes when people talk about conference imbalance.

The reference to taking setbacks "straight to the chin and going on a deep dive into the nitty-gritty" perfectly describes several teams that season. Oklahoma City’s first-round exit after the Paul George-Carmelo Anthony experiment was particularly brutal. They won 48 games but looked lost against Utah. I remember thinking they needed to either blow it up or double down—turns out they did neither initially, and it cost them. Meanwhile, teams like Indiana, written off after the Paul George trade, won 48 games themselves by embracing that underdog mentality. Victor Oladipo’s transformation from solid role player to All-Star was one of my favorite storylines that year.

My personal take? The standings don’t fully capture how close Houston came to changing NBA history. They had Golden State on the ropes up 3-2, and Chris Paul’s hamstring injury might have altered multiple franchises’ trajectories. I’ve always wondered what happens if he stays healthy—does Houston win it all? Does Kevin Durant still leave? The ripple effects would have been enormous. The final rankings show Golden State as champions, but the path there was far more precarious than the 4-0 finals sweep suggests.

What stands out statistically—and I’m working from memory here—is how the top teams created separation. Golden State went 58-24 despite coasting at times, Houston’s 65 wins included a 42-5 stretch at one point, and Toronto’s 59 wins came with what felt like 15 different closing lineups. The Celtics winning 55 games without their two max players for most of the season remains one of Brad Stevens’ finest coaching performances. Meanwhile, Portland grabbing the 3-seed with 49 wins felt like overachievement, though their first-round sweep reminded everyone that regular season success doesn’t always translate.

The final standings tell a story of what might have been. Minnesota ending their 14-year playoff drought by going 47-35 and barely clinging to the 8-seed was dramatic, but they never built on it. Miami at 44-38 felt like a team stuck in neutral. The Lakers’ 35-47 record doesn’t look impressive until you remember they started 11-27 before their young core showed flashes after the All-Star break. Sometimes the most telling stories aren’t at the very top or bottom, but in that messy middle where franchises either pivot or plateau.

Reflecting on that season’s standings today, I’m struck by how many teams were at inflection points. Golden State’s last championship before the Durant departure and injuries, Toronto’s final iteration before the Kawhi gamble, Cleveland before LeBron’s second departure. The numbers capture a moment in time, but the context—the near misses, the bad breaks, the what-ifs—that’s what makes revisiting the 2017-18 NBA season standings and final rankings so compelling years later. The standings show you who finished where, but the stories behind them remind you why we watch.