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games above .500 · final standings
1987-88 NBA Eastern Conference standings
The Boston Celtics won the 1987-88 NBA Eastern Conference playoff race at 57-25, 3 games ahead of the Detroit Pistons.
🏆How the 1987-88 playoffs went
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East standings, 1987-88
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Streak |
|---|
| Boston Celtics (BOS) | 57 | 25 | .695 | - | 6-4 | L2 |
| Detroit Pistons (DET) | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3 | 7-3 | W1 |
| Atlanta Hawks (ATL) | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7 | 4-6 | L1 |
| Chicago Bulls (CHI) | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7 | 7-3 | W1 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE) | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15 | 8-2 | W4 |
| Milwaukee Bucks (MIL) | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15 | 3-7 | L1 |
| Indiana Pacers (IND) | 38 | 44 | .463 | 19 | 4-6 | L1 |
| New York Knicks (NYK) | 38 | 44 | .463 | 19 | 6-4 | W1 |
| Washington Bullets (WAS) | 38 | 44 | .463 | 19 | 5-5 | W1 |
| Philadelphia 76ers (PHL) | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21 | 4-6 | L2 |
| New Jersey Nets (NJN) | 19 | 63 | .232 | 38 | 1-9 | W1 |
The dashed line on the chart is the pace of the final playoff spot.
Turning points
- The lead changed hands 12 times.
- The Boston Celtics trailed by as many as 2.5 games on December 12, 1987.
- The Boston Celtics took first place for good on March 4, 1988.
- The Detroit Pistons won 10 games in a row from December 1, 1987 to December 26, 1987, the longest run of the race.
- The Atlanta Hawks led by 3 games as late as January 11, 1988.
- The Boston Celtics led by as many as 5 games on April 3, 1988.
- The Boston Celtics went 16-6 from January 11, 1988 to February 22, 1988, turning a deficit of 2.5 games into a lead of 3.5 games.
- The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 74 of the 158 days played.
- The Boston Celtics spent 109 of the season's 171 charted days in first place.