Name: 2016-17 NBA Eastern Conference standings
License: https://standingschart.com/about#reuse

The Boston Celtics won the 2016-17 NBA Eastern Conference playoff race at 53-29, 2 games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It came down to the final days: the Boston Celtics did not lead for good until April 10, 2017.

East standings, 2016-17

Team	W	L	Pct	GB	L10	Streak
Boston Celtics (BOS) e	53	29	.646	-	7-3	W3
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE) x	51	31	.622	2	4-6	L4
Toronto Raptors (TOR) x	51	31	.622	2	8-2	W4
Washington Wizards (WAS) x	49	33	.598	4	5-5	L1
Atlanta Hawks (ATL) x	43	39	.524	10	6-4	L1
Indiana Pacers (IND) x	42	40	.512	11	6-4	W5
Milwaukee Bucks (MIL) x	42	40	.512	11	5-5	L1
Chicago Bulls (CHI) x	41	41	.500	12	7-3	W2
Miami Heat (MIA)	41	41	.500	12	6-4	W3
Detroit Pistons (DET)	37	45	.451	16	3-7	L2
Charlotte Hornets (CHA)	36	46	.439	17	4-6	L5
New York Knicks (NYK)	31	51	.378	22	4-6	W1
Orlando Magic (ORL)	29	53	.354	24	3-7	W1
Philadelphia 76ers (PHI)	28	54	.341	25	1-9	L8
Brooklyn Nets (BKN)	20	62	.244	33	5-5	L2

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 6.5 games on January 2, 2017.
The Boston Celtics took first place for good on April 10, 2017.
The Miami Heat won 13 games in a row from January 17, 2017 to February 10, 2017, the longest run of the race.
The Cleveland Cavaliers led by 4.5 games as late as January 9, 2017.
The Boston Celtics went 15-7 from February 28, 2017 to April 12, 2017, turning a deficit of 4 games into a lead of 2 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 58 of the 161 days played.
Eight teams held first place.
The Boston Celtics spent 13 of the season's 170 charted days in first place.