standingschart.com
games above .500 · final standings
1971-72 NBA Eastern Conference standings
The Boston Celtics won the 1971-72 NBA Eastern Conference playoff race at 56-26, 8 games ahead of the New York Knicks.
🏆How the 1971-72 playoffs went
Loading season data…
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.