Every 1971-72 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran October 12, 1971 to March 26, 1972.
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East standings, 1971-72
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Boston Celtics (BOS)
56
26
.683
-
7-3
W3
New York Knicks (NYK)
48
34
.585
8
4-6
L1
Baltimore Bullets (BLT)
38
44
.463
18
5-5
W1
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
36
46
.439
20
8-2
W6
Cincinnati Royals (CIN)
30
52
.366
26
6-4
W1
Philadelphia 76ers (PHL)
30
52
.366
26
2-8
L4
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
23
59
.280
33
2-8
L3
Buffalo Braves (BUF)
22
60
.268
34
3-7
L4
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands twice.
The Boston Celtics trailed by as many as 2 games on October 16, 1971.
The Boston Celtics took first place for good on November 28, 1971.
The Boston Celtics won 10 games in a row from December 12, 1971 to December 31, 1971, the longest run of the race.
The Philadelphia 76ers led by 2 games as late as October 21, 1971.
The Boston Celtics went 11-3 from February 22, 1972 to March 26, 1972, turning a lead of 2.5 games into a lead of 8 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 37 of the 140 days played.
Four teams held first place.
The Boston Celtics spent 146 of the season's 167 charted days in first place.