2017–18_NBA_G_League_season

2017–18 NBA G League season

2017–18 NBA G League season

Sports season


The 2017–18 NBA G League season was the 17th season of the NBA G League (formerly the NBA D-League), the minor league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the first season after the league rebranded to become the NBA G League as part of multi-year partnership with Gatorade.[1]

Quick Facts League, Sport ...

The Austin Spurs won the league title, sweeping Raptors 905 in the NBA G League Finals.

League changes

The league expanded to a record 26 teams from 22 teams during the 2016–17 season. There was one relocation (Erie BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida to become the Lakeland Magic) and four expansion teams introduced this season (the Agua Caliente Clippers, a new Erie BayHawks, the Memphis Hustle, and the Wisconsin Herd), each owned and affiliated with an NBA team. The Iowa Energy were purchased by the Minnesota Timberwolves at the end of the previous season and rebranded as the Iowa Wolves. The Miami Heat purchased the controlling interest in the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their affiliate since 2013. The Los Angeles D-Fenders also relocated to a new facility within El Segundo and were rebranded as the South Bay Lakers. The purchases and expansion of these teams by individual NBA teams left just four NBA teams without a developmental affiliate, down from eight the previous season.[2] It also decreased the number of independently owned D-League/G League teams from seven to four. Meanwhile, the NBA also started using two-way contracts for their team rosters, allowing players to be more easily called up or sent down.

The league retained its Eastern and Western Conferences, but realigned each conference into three divisions each. Along with the league expansion, the league also expanded its playoff field from eight teams to twelve. Each of the division winners and three wild cards per conference qualify. The top two seeds in each conference earn a bye over the first round.[3]

The NBA announced a title sponsorship deal with Gatorade prior to the season, under which it has been renamed the NBA G League.[4] The G League also experimented with new broadcast arrangements, including airing 120 games on Eleven Sports,[5] and streaming games on the typically video game-oriented live streaming service Twitch, which included interactive stats, and commentary provided by prominent Twitch personalities.[6][7]

Regular season

Finals standings.[8]

x – qualified for playoffs; y – Division champion; z – Conference champion

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
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Central Division
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Southeast Division
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Western Conference

Midwest Division
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Pacific Division
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Southwest Division
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Playoffs

For the fourth time ever and first time since the 2014 playoffs, a team went undefeated in postseason play to win the championship.[9] The Austin Spurs won the G League Finals over Raptors 905 by scores of 105-93 and 98-76 to win the title.[10][11]

First Round (March 30 & March 31) Conference Semifinal (April 2 & April 3) Conference Final (April 5 & April 6) Finals (April 8 & April 10)
Best-of-three
            
1 Westchester Knicks 80
4 Raptors 905 92
4 Raptors 905 92
5 Grand Rapids Drive 88
4 Raptors 905 118
Eastern Conference
3 Erie BayHawks 106
3 Erie BayHawks 96
6 Lakeland Magic 90
2 Fort Wayne Mad Ants 116
3 Erie BayHawks 119
E4 Raptors 905 0
W1 Austin Spurs 2
1 Austin Spurs 117
4 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 91
4 Rio Grande Valley Vipers 107
5 Texas Legends 100
1 Austin Spurs 104
Western Conference
6 South Bay Lakers 93
3 Oklahoma City Blue 105
6 South Bay Lakers 125
2 Reno Bighorns 109
6 South Bay Lakers 126

Finals boxscore

April 8, 2018
7:00 p.m. ET
Raptors 905 93, Austin Spurs 105
Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 26–24, 27–27, 17–24
Pts: Lorenzo Brown 20
Rebs: Kennedy Meeks 9
Asts: Lorenzo Brown 10
Pts: Derrick White 35
Rebs: Jaron Blossomgame 11
Asts: Darrun Hilliard 4
H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Attendance: 4,321
Referees:
  • #24 Brandon Adair
  • #37 Matt Myers
  • #48 Vladimir Voyard-Tadal
April 10, 2018
8:00 p.m. ET
Austin Spurs 98, Raptors 905 76
Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 18–20, 27–24, 25–14
Pts: Nick Johnson 17
Rebs: Jaron Blossomgame 10
Asts: Olivier Hanlan 7
Pts: Malcolm Miller, Kaza Kajami-Keane 12
Rebs: Alfonzo McKinnie, Kennedy Meeks 9
Asts: Lorenzo Brown 10
Austin wins series, 2–0
Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Attendance: 3,262
Referees:
  • #11 Randy Richardson
  • #19 Phenizee Ransom
  • #35 John Butler

Statistics

Individual statistic leaders

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Individual game highs

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Team statistic leaders

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Player death

On March 24, 2018, Grand Rapids Drive player Zeke Upshaw collapsed on-court during the final minute of the team's regular season finale. Two days later, Upshaw died at the age of 26. Autopsy reports indicated that Upshaw had died from a sudden cardiac arrest.[12][13] The start of the NBA G League playoffs were delayed out of respect for Upshaw's death, and the NBA's Detroit Pistons gave Upshaw an honorary call-up to their roster.[14]


References

  1. "NBA Development League to Become NBA Gatorade League" (Press release). NBA Development League. February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  2. "NBA Development League Expansion". dleague.nba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  3. McCann, Michael (February 14, 2017). "The G League: 12 takeaways on NBA's new deal". Sports Illustrated. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. "NBA to broadcast G League games on Twitch". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  5. "NBA G League Standings". NBA G League. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  6. Hendrix, Leon (March 28, 2018). "ME: Drive player collapse was a 'sudden cardiac death'". WOOD-TV. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  7. "G League's Upshaw, 26, dies after collapsing". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.

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