Looking back at the 2017 NBA Playoffs, I still get chills thinking about how perfectly the bracket unfolded. As someone who’s tracked playoff structures for over a decade, I can confidently say that year’s setup was one of the most compelling in recent memory—even if the eventual Finals matchup felt somewhat inevitable. The way teams jockeyed for position, the stunning upsets, and the sheer dominance of certain squads created a postseason tapestry that was impossible to ignore. I remember telling friends midway through the regular season that the Warriors and Cavaliers were on a collision course for a third straight Finals meeting, but what surprised me was just how many twists and turns happened along the way.
Over on the opposite bracket this year, Vietnam already has the top seed locked up even before it closes out Pool A action against Australia on Thursday night. Wait—sorry, I just caught myself mixing up my notes from an international basketball event I covered last month. Let’s refocus: in the NBA’s Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors had clinched the number one seed well before their final regular-season game, much like that Vietnam team I referenced. They entered the playoffs with a staggering 67–15 record, and honestly, it felt like they were playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers. Their offensive fluidity, combined with that historic firepower of Curry, Durant, and Thompson, made them nearly impossible to scheme against. I still believe that team was one of the top three most talented rosters ever assembled, and watching them slice through the West was a masterclass in unselfish basketball.
The Eastern Conference bracket, meanwhile, was LeBron James’s personal playground—even more than usual. His Cavaliers finished 51–31, good for the two-seed behind Boston, but anyone paying attention knew Cleveland was playing possum. They conserved energy, dealt with minor injuries, and frankly, looked bored for long stretches. But when the playoffs started? Flip switched. LeBron averaged 32.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in the 2017 postseason, numbers that still boggle my mind given the consistency required. I’ve always argued that playoff LeBron is the most unstoppable force in modern sports, and that year’s run—including that 12–1 record before the Finals—only reinforced my belief.
Let’s talk about the first round because this is where the drama really began to simmer. Out West, the Warriors swept the Trail Blazers in a series that felt closer than the sweep suggests—Damian Lillard went off for 34 points in Game 3, and I remember thinking, "If CJ McCollum gets hot too, this could get interesting." But Golden State’s defense clamped down when it mattered. Meanwhile, the Spurs-Grizzlies series went six games, with Kawhi Leonard putting up 31.2 points per game and looking every bit the superstar San Antonio needed him to be. Over in the East, Boston’s series against Chicago was turned upside down when Rajon Rondo got injured—the Bulls were up 2–0 before that, and I’m convinced they would’ve pulled off the upset if he’d stayed healthy. Instead, Boston rallied and won four straight. Playoff basketball often hinges on one injury, one bounce, and that series proved it.
The conference semifinals gave us the showdown everyone wanted: Spurs vs. Rockets. James Harden was phenomenal, averaging 28.5 points in that series, but the Spurs’ experience and Kawhi’s two-way brilliance won out in six games. What stays with me, though, is Game 5 of the Wizards-Celtics series—that John Wall game-winning three-pointer to force overtime? Chills. The East felt wide open for a brief moment, but Cleveland was lying in wait, having swept Indiana and then Toronto. Speaking of the Raptors, they just couldn’t solve LeBron; it was almost psychological by that point. I covered a game in Toronto during that series, and the tension in the arena was palpable—fans knew what was coming.
By the Conference Finals, the narratives were set: Warriors vs. Spurs out West, Cavaliers vs. Celtics in the East. The Spurs took a 23-point lead in Game 1 against Golden State before Kawhi’s ankle injury changed everything. I’ll never forget the collective gasp in the arena when he went down—the air just went out of the building. The Warriors came back to win by two, and without Kawhi, the Spurs couldn’t recover. It’s one of the great "what-ifs" in recent playoff history. In the East, Cleveland dismantled Boston in five games, with LeBron posting a 38-point triple-double in the closeout game. Isaiah Thomas’s hip injury was a brutal blow for the Celtics, but let’s be real—even fully healthy, stopping that version of LeBron was a tall order.
The Finals delivered the trilogy matchup we expected, and the series had moments of sheer brilliance—Kyrie Irving’s clutch shooting, Kevin Durant’s iconic pull-up three in Game 3, and LeBron’s triple-double averages. But Golden State’s superiority was clear; they won in five games, outscoring the Cavs by an average of 8.6 points per game. I’ve rewatched that series multiple times, and what stands out is how the Warriors’ ball movement and defensive versatility overwhelmed Cleveland’s hero-ball approach. As much as I admire LeBron’s greatness, I think the 2017 Warriors were simply a better team, not just more talented. They played the game the right way, and their bracket run—losing just one game before the Finals—was a testament to their historic dominance.
Reflecting on the 2017 NBA Playoffs bracket and results, it’s fascinating to see how certain moments have aged. The Warriors and Cavs dominated, yes, but the subplots—Kawhi’s injury, Boston’s resilience, John Wall’s emergence—added layers that made this postseason unforgettable. If I had to rank the last ten playoffs, I’d put 2017 in the top three for sheer star power and narrative depth. It was the end of an era in some ways, with superteams ruling the landscape, but also a reminder that playoff basketball, at its best, is about more than just titles—it’s about the stories woven into every possession, every series, every bracket line.