Every 1972-73 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran October 10, 1972 to March 28, 1973.
Loading season data…
East standings, 1972-73
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Boston Celtics (BOS)
68
14
.829
-
9-1
W8
New York Knicks (NYK)
57
25
.695
11
6-4
L3
Baltimore Bullets (BLT)
52
30
.634
16
6-4
L2
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
46
36
.561
22
4-6
L2
Houston Rockets (HOU)
33
49
.402
35
5-5
W2
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
32
50
.390
36
6-4
L2
Buffalo Braves (BUF)
21
61
.256
47
0-10
L11
Philadelphia 76ers (PHL)
9
73
.110
59
0-10
L13
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands once.
The Boston Celtics trailed by as many as half a game on October 10, 1972.
The Boston Celtics took first place for good on October 14, 1972.
The New York Knicks won 11 games in a row from December 28, 1972 to January 16, 1973, the longest run of the race.
The Boston Celtics went 22-2 from February 10, 1973 to March 25, 1973, turning a lead of half a game into a lead of 10 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 80 of the 140 days played.
Four teams held first place.
The Boston Celtics spent 169 of the season's 170 charted days in first place.