A Complete Guide to the 2017 NBA Standings and Playoff Picture

2025-11-12 12:00

Looking back at the 2017 NBA season, I still get chills thinking about how dramatically the playoff picture shifted in those final weeks. As someone who’s tracked the league for over a decade, I’ve rarely seen a year where so many teams were fighting tooth and nail for positioning—not just for home-court advantage, but for survival. The Warriors and Cavaliers were on a collision course for their third straight Finals meeting, sure, but the real drama unfolded in the middle of the pack. Teams like the Miami Heat, who started the season 11–30, clawed their way back into contention, while the Thunder struggled to mesh their new superstar trio. It was chaos, and I loved every minute of it.

What made the 2017 standings so compelling, in my view, was the sheer depth of talent across both conferences. Out West, the Warriors finished with a league-best 67–15 record, but the Spurs weren’t far behind at 61–21. Houston’s shift to a high-octane offense under Mike D’Antoni pushed them to 55 wins, and I remember thinking at the time how James Harden’s move to point guard revolutionized their attack. Then you had the Clippers and Jazz locked in a brutal battle for the 4th and 5th seeds—each ending with 51 wins, separated only by a tiebreaker. Over in the East, Boston’s surprising 53–29 record earned them the top seed, though Cleveland, at 51–31, seemed to be conserving energy for the postseason. The Raptors, Wizards, and Hawks rounded out the top six, but it was the 41–41 Bulls who sneaked into the 8th spot that had everyone shaking their heads.

I’ve always believed that the playoff structure rewards consistency, but 2017 tested that idea. The Thunder, for example, finished 47–35 and landed the 6th seed despite Russell Westbrook’s historic MVP season. As much as I admired his triple-double averages, their inability to close out tight games cost them dearly. Meanwhile, teams like the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies hung on despite key injuries, showing just how thin the margin for error can be. And let’s not forget the drama in the play-in fringe—the Nuggets and Pelicans both finished 34–48, missing the cut by a hair. If you ask me, Denver’s late collapse that year was one of the most heartbreaking stories of the season.

Now, you might wonder why any of this matters today. Well, as a longtime analyst, I see parallels between the NBA’s competitive balance then and now, especially with emerging leagues and international clubs entering the scene. I’m reminded of a quote from a Filipino basketball organizer who once said, “Ang daming Filipino teams na ang sumasali dito, like now, we have SGA and Zamboanga Valientes, so para hindi na maulit—not just sa mga Pinoy teams but sa iba pang sasali in the future, we wanted to make a statement.” That mindset—of establishing a clear, competitive standard—is exactly what the NBA embodied in 2017. Every game mattered. Every win or loss could redefine a team’s destiny. Whether you were a powerhouse like Golden State or an underdog like Chicago, the standings didn’t lie. They revealed who was built for the long haul.

When the playoffs finally arrived, the bracket told its own story. The Warriors swept their way through the West until the Finals, while the Cavs dismantled the East with a 12–1 record before the championship round. But my favorite subplot was the clash between the Rockets and Spurs in the second round—a series that went the distance and showcased Kawhi Leonard’s two-way brilliance before his injury. I still argue that if he’d stayed healthy, San Antonio might have pushed Golden State harder. Of course, we’ll never know. What we do know is that the 2017 standings didn’t just set the stage for another Warriors-Cavs finale; they highlighted the league’s evolving dynamics. Superteams were rising, but so was parity among the middle-tier squads.

Reflecting on it now, I think the 2017 season was a turning point. The playoff picture taught us that regular-season resilience often translates to postseason success—but not always. The Cavs’ relatively mediocre 51 wins didn’t stop them from dominating the East, just as the Spurs’ 61 wins couldn’t guarantee a Finals berth. It’s a reminder that in basketball, as in life, predictions only go so far. The standings give us a framework, but the heart of the game lies in those unpredictable moments: a last-second shot, an upset, a team defying expectations. And as more teams worldwide, like those from the Philippines, aim to make their mark, the lessons from 2017 remain relevant—build with purpose, compete with pride, and never take a single game for granted.