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games above .500 · final standings
1986-87 NBA Eastern Conference standings
The Boston Celtics won the 1986-87 NBA Eastern Conference playoff race at 59-23, 2 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks.
🏆How the 1986-87 playoffs went
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East standings, 1986-87
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Streak |
|---|
| Boston Celtics (BOS) | 59 | 23 | .720 | - | 6-4 | W4 |
| Atlanta Hawks (ATL) | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2 | 9-1 | L1 |
| Detroit Pistons (DET) | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7 | 5-5 | L1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks (MIL) | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 | 7-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia 76ers (PHL) | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 | 5-5 | W1 |
| Washington Bullets (WAS) | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 | 6-4 | L1 |
| Indiana Pacers (IND) | 41 | 41 | .500 | 18 | 4-6 | W2 |
| Chicago Bulls (CHI) | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 | 4-6 | L2 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE) | 31 | 51 | .378 | 28 | 4-6 | W1 |
| New Jersey Nets (NJN) | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 2-8 | L5 |
| New York Knicks (NYK) | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 2-8 | L6 |
The dashed line on the chart is the pace of the final playoff spot.
Turning points
- The lead changed hands 5 times.
- The Boston Celtics trailed by as many as 3.5 games on December 12, 1986.
- The Boston Celtics took first place for good on January 16, 1987.
- The Atlanta Hawks won 11 games in a row from February 27, 1987 to March 17, 1987, the longest run of the race.
- The Atlanta Hawks led by 3.5 games as late as December 15, 1986.
- The Boston Celtics led by as many as 6 games on March 4, 1987.
- The Boston Celtics went 16-2 from December 25, 1986 to January 29, 1987, turning a deficit of 3 games into a lead of 4.5 games.
- The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 50 of the 154 days played.
- The Boston Celtics spent 102 of the season's 171 charted days in first place.