But with Noah putting on the peak performance of his career (12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.5 blocks), and the growth of Jimmy Butler, they still made it to the upper half of The East.
The New York Knicks finally ranked fifth with 46 wins.
James averaged 29.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 54.4% and a three-point percentage of 33.5%.
This final record was definitely not a result of James’s performance, but because Nash was injury-prone and his teammates played like they belonged in the CBA.
The Raptors, Wizards, and Bobcats ranked 6th to 8th, and their final wins all exceeded 44.
Derozan, Wall, Kemba Walker may be dim stars of The East, but there will always be someone to fill the missing part.
However, it’s worth mentioning that the Cavaliers made quite an effort this season, trading for Hawes and Luol Deng, but they only ranked tenth in The East in the end.
For Cleveland fans, this was the fourth consecutive season they missed out on the playoffs since the 2009-2010 season.
At this moment, they surely missed Hansen more than ever.
But from Hansen’s perspective, he knew this outcome wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Over in The West, the San Antonio Spurs ultimately achieved a record of 62 wins and 20 losses, placing first.
The Grizzlies, in the last moments, rested some of their players appropriately for the playoffs, ending with a record of 60 wins and 22 losses.
Hansen had an explosive fifth year of his professional career.
He played 79 games this season, averaging 30.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.1% and a three-point percentage of 40.5%.
He won the Scoring King, the Steals King, and for the first time reached the "180 Club"!
This season, Hansen proved one thing with his actions, that his performance in the past two postseasons being far better than the regular season wasn’t due to some mysterious attribute, but that he truly made sacrifices for the team during the regular season.
The Rockets achieved 58 wins, ranking third in The West.
They were the most surprising team in The West this season.
Originally, outsiders believed that Paul and Harden, both being ball-dominant players, would clash over ball possession.
But the two exhibited excellent chemistry, with Harden’s scoring average rising to over 27 points and Paul putting up numbers of 20+ points and 10 assists.
From Hansen’s perspective, this record was surprising too.
Because he knew when Harden and Paul played together, the Rockets had begun to employ "small ball," but now they were using a more conventional style.
Moreover, the way Paul previously played with Kobe was not much different from his current cooperation with Harden.
But in the end, this result shows that playing with Kobe was not really enjoyable for Paul.
Or rather, his current collaboration with Harden was more like his later partnership with Booker.
In theory, he was the second option, but due to his seniority, he had the highest status on the team.
Also, after the Rockets traded away Parsons, they had a bit of a weak spot at the small forward position, but they signed Granger on the buyout deadline and filled that void.
Now, they were definitely considered to have a robust squad.
The Thunders ranked fourth with 54 wins.
Westbrook not only proved with words but with his body how happy he could be without James.
The Blazers also achieved 54 wins, but because of their record against the Thunders, they ultimately ranked fifth.
The Lakers ranked sixth with 52 wins.
Kobe encountered some injuries mid-season, but it was not the season-ending injury as Hansen knew.
The butterfly effect of Paul joining the Lakers changed the trajectory of his career.
However, if there are no surprises, the last stage of his career is destined to be a supporting role.
The Warriors ranked seventh with 51 wins.
The Mavericks ranked eighth with 50 wins.
They failed to keep Ellis in the off-season but signed Curry’s former backcourt senior Monta Ellis.
Ellis also had a resurgence in his career in Dallas.
The Clippers with 49 wins and The Suns with 48 wins missed the playoffs.
The ferocity of The West this season was even more exaggerated than Stan predicted, with a full 10 teams achieving nearly 50 wins each.
While the power of the top teams declined, the overall difficulty increased from last season.
As a result, the Warriors, who improved their record by four more wins than last season, found themselves having to face the Grizzlies in the first round. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥