Every 1970-71 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran October 13, 1970 to March 23, 1971.
Loading season data…
East standings, 1970-71
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
New York Knicks (NYK)
52
30
.634
-
6-4
L1
Philadelphia 76ers (PHL)
47
35
.573
5
6-4
W1
Boston Celtics (BOS)
44
38
.537
8
6-4
W4
Baltimore Bullets (BLT)
42
40
.512
10
4-6
L1
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
36
46
.439
16
8-2
L1
Cincinnati Royals (CIN)
33
49
.402
19
6-4
L3
Buffalo Braves (BUF)
22
60
.268
30
3-7
L4
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
15
67
.183
37
3-7
L2
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands twice.
The New York Knicks trailed by as many as 1 game on October 17, 1970.
The New York Knicks took first place for good on October 27, 1970.
The Boston Celtics won 10 games in a row from November 25, 1970 to December 9, 1970, the longest run of the race.
The Philadelphia 76ers led by 1 game as late as October 20, 1970.
The New York Knicks led by as many as 7 games on December 27, 1970.
The New York Knicks went 16-5 from October 23, 1970 to November 30, 1970, turning a deficit of 1 game into a lead of 5 games.
The New York Knicks spent 156 of the season's 162 charted days in first place.