Last time on The New Millennium, some lower tier teams found success in the offseason, with the Wizards starting things off by taking Donovan Mitchell first overall in the draft. The Pelicans took Jayson Tatum and Lauri Markkanen, before signing Jimmy Butler, the Clippers got Al Horford in free agency and the Lakers drafted De'Aaron Fox. In trades before the season, the contenders loaded up, with the Mavericks making the biggest splash after acquiring DeMarcus Cousins. The Lakers sold off pieces, sending Carlos Boozer to New Jersey, Dorell Moncrief to Milwaukee and Dante Exum to Chicago. The Grizzlies also sold, as Tyson Chandler was sent to the Hornets, Marvin Williams went to Dallas and Rajon Rondo joined the Magic, while the Kings finally got a top big man, trading Joe Johnson to Philly for Sherman Conway. Finally, after a great rookie season, Buddy Hield was sent to the defending champion Bucks, as Washington cleared the way for Mitchell. How will these changes affect the 2017-2018 regular season?
Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs(59-23)
2. Phoenix Suns(50-32)
3. Dallas Mavericks(50-32)
4. Denver Nuggets(49-33)
5. Utah Jazz(47-35)
6. Vancouver Grizzlies(43-39)
7. Sacramento Kings(39-43)
8. Seattle SuperSonics(38-44)
9. Portland Trail Blazers(37-45)
10. Minnesota Timberwolves(35-47)
11. Los Angeles Clippers(34-48)
12. New Orleans Pelicans(34-48)
13. Golden State Warriors(33-49)
14. Houston Rockets(33-49)
15. Los Angeles Lakers(22-60)
A year removed from their catastrophic collapse in the NBA Finals, the Spurs fell just one win short of becoming the first team in this series' history to win 60 games in back to back years. The Suns have turned into a powerhouse, thanks in large part to Anton Kozlov(16.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) turning back the years. Despite trading away their best players, the Grizzlies still made the playoffs anyways thanks to a stupendous home record, while young teams in Sacramento and Seattle get in with losing records. It's become clear that nothing Timberwolves management are doing is going to save their team, as Kevin Durant gets more and more frustrated, desperate to win his first ring. But nothing's as bad as the Lakers' fall from grace, as this once well-respected giant falls all the way to rock bottom, but they should have a very high pick, as young stars like Luka Doncic, Trae Young and DeAndre Ayton wait in the draft class.
Eastern Conference
1. Atlanta Hawks(53-29)
2. New Jersey Nets(52-30)
3. New York Knicks(49-33)
4. Indiana Pacers(49-33)
5. Boston Celtics(47-35)
6. Detroit Pistons(46-36)
7. Chicago Bulls(45-37)
8. Milwaukee Bucks(44-38)
9. Philadelphia 76ers(38-44)
10. Washington Wizards(38-44)
11. Toronto Raptors(38-44)
12. Orlando Magic(34-48)
13. Charlotte Hornets(33-49)
14. Cleveland Cavaliers(32-50)
15. Miami Heat(29-53)
For the third time in his career, LeBron James(25.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 7.6 apg) is the MVP, leading an Atlanta team that has fallen in the first round two years in a row. They get a rematch with the defending champion Bucks, who seem incapable of dominance in the regular season but remain dangerous for the playoffs. The rest of the list features a large amount of the usual suspects, so it's more interesting to look at the teams who missed out on the playoffs. The Wizards could've hoped for a better rookie year from Donovan Mitchell(10.6 ppg), but they still improved massively regardless. The Raptors struggled on defense for the first half of the year, improving in the second half when it was too little, too late. Orlando adding Rajon Rondo(10.7 ppg, 9.7 apg) did nothing to help them win games in the division, while the Hornets imploded thanks to the steep decline of Tony Parker(12.6 ppg, 7.7 apg) who is a shadow of his former self. Cleveland remains awful, and Miami fell to last but will get a good shot at a top pick.
Awards
MVP: LeBron James, Atlanta Hawks
Rookie of the Year: Douglas Edwin, New Orleans Pelicans
Sixth Man: D'Angelo Russell, Phoenix Suns
Defensive Player: Willie Lewis, Boston Celtics
Most Improved: Yuri Klimov, Orlando Magic
Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
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