Every 1986-87 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran October 31, 1986 to April 19, 1987.
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East standings, 1986-87
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Boston Celtics (BOS)e
59
23
.720
-
6-4
W4
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)x
57
25
.695
2
9-1
L1
Detroit Pistons (DET)x
52
30
.634
7
5-5
L1
Milwaukee Bucks (MIL)x
50
32
.610
9
7-3
W2
Philadelphia 76ers (PHL)x
45
37
.549
14
5-5
W1
Washington Bullets (WAS)x
42
40
.512
17
6-4
L1
Indiana Pacers (IND)x
41
41
.500
18
4-6
W2
Chicago Bulls (CHI)x
40
42
.488
19
4-6
L2
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
31
51
.378
28
4-6
W1
New Jersey Nets (NJN)
24
58
.293
35
2-8
L5
New York Knicks (NYK)
24
58
.293
35
2-8
L6
The dashed line on the chart is the pace of the final playoff spot.
Clinch key
x
clinched a playoff place
e
clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference
Turning points
The lead changed hands 5 times.
The Boston Celtics trailed by as many as 3.5 games on December 12, 1986.
The Boston Celtics took first place for good on January 16, 1987.
The Atlanta Hawks won 11 games in a row from February 27, 1987 to March 17, 1987, the longest run of the race.
The Atlanta Hawks led by 3.5 games as late as December 15, 1986.
The Boston Celtics led by as many as 6 games on March 4, 1987.
The Boston Celtics went 16-2 from December 25, 1986 to January 29, 1987, turning a deficit of 3 games into a lead of 4.5 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 50 of the 154 days played.
The Boston Celtics spent 102 of the season's 171 charted days in first place.