Honestly, looking back at the nba season 17 18, it feels like a fever dream. We all remember the ending—the Golden State Warriors sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers—but the journey there was absolute chaos. It was the year of the "superteam arms race," a time when every front office in the league looked at Kevin Durant in a Warriors jersey and collectively decided to lose their minds trying to keep up.
Think about it. In one summer, Chris Paul went to Houston, Kyrie Irving forced his way to Boston, and Oklahoma City somehow convinced themselves that a trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony would just "work."
It didn't. At least, not for everyone.
The Trade That Broke the East
The season practically started with a bombshell. Kyrie Irving, tired of playing in LeBron’s shadow, demanded a trade. He ended up in Boston for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and that famous Brooklyn pick. We thought the Celtics were going to run away with it. Then, five minutes into the very first game against the Cavs, Gordon Hayward suffered that horrific leg injury.
Just like that, the "new" Celtics were fractured.
But then something weird happened. Boston didn't die. Instead, we got the emergence of a rookie named Jayson Tatum and a second-year Jaylen Brown. Under Brad Stevens, they played some of the grittiest defense the league had seen in years. They actually pushed LeBron to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Why the Houston Rockets Were Actually Better Than You Remember
Most fans focus on the 27 missed threes in Game 7. It’s the easy narrative. But the nba season 17 18 version of the Houston Rockets was a historical juggernaut. They won 65 games. James Harden was in his absolute prime, finally securing his MVP trophy by averaging 30.4 points and 8.8 assists.
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The Rockets' "Moreyball" strategy—layups, free throws, and threes—was at its peak. When Chris Paul and Harden were both healthy and on the floor, that team felt unbeatable. They were the only squad that truly stood eye-to-eye with the Warriors.
If CP3 doesn't pull his hamstring at the end of Game 5? The entire history of the NBA might look different. No, seriously.
The LeBron Carry Job
If you want to talk about "peak" LeBron James, it’s this year. Forget the rings for a second. In the 2017-18 season, he played all 82 games. He dragged a Cleveland roster that was traded mid-season—remember when they shipped out Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade in February?—all the way to the Finals.
He was 33 years old, putting up 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists.
The Game 1 of the Finals was his masterpiece. 51 points against the most talented roster ever assembled. And then... J.R. Smith happened. LeBron punched a blackboard in frustration after that game, played the rest of the series with a mangled hand, and the Cavs were done. It was the end of an era in Cleveland.
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Stat Leaders and Surprises
The numbers from this year are still pretty wild to look at:
- Scoring: James Harden led with 30.4 PPG.
- Rebounds: Andre Drummond was a beast on the glass, grabbing 16.0 per game.
- Assists: Russell Westbrook averaged a double-double again with 10.3 APG.
- Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons (though Jazz fans will still argue Donovan Mitchell deserved it).
Speaking of Mitchell, nobody expected Utah to be good after losing Hayward. But Mitchell came in and immediately looked like a superstar. He led the Jazz to the second round, even knocking out the "OK3" Thunder in the process. It was one of those "the future is now" moments.
The Tactical Shift
This was the year the league fully embraced the "three-point or bust" mentality. The Rockets attempted over 42 triples per game. Coaches were starting to realize that if you didn't have five guys who could floor-space, you were basically playing 1990s basketball in a 2020s world.
Defenses were scrambling. We saw the rise of "switching everything." You couldn't hide a slow center anymore because guys like Steph Curry or Harden would just hunt them on every single possession.
What We Get Wrong Today
When people talk about the nba season 17 18, they often call it "boring" because the Warriors won. That's a lazy take. It was actually one of the most high-stakes seasons in history. Every game felt like a desperate attempt to find a chink in Golden State's armor.
It was also the year that "The Process" finally bore fruit in Philadelphia. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons led the Sixers to 52 wins. The league was changing, shifting from the old-school LeBron-vs-everyone dynamic to a more spread-out, high-octane style of play.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Analysts:
- Rewatch Game 1 of the 2018 Finals: To understand the gap between individual greatness and team depth, there is no better tape.
- Study the 2017-18 Rockets’ Defense: Everyone talks about their offense, but their switching scheme was the blueprint for how modern teams try to stop elite perimeter creators.
- Look at the 2018 Draft: See how the moves made during this season (like the Nets pick trade) directly led to the stars we see today.