Every 1988-89 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran November 4, 1988 to April 23, 1989.
Loading season data…
East standings, 1988-89
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Detroit Pistons (DET)
63
19
.768
-
9-1
W5
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
57
25
.695
6
5-5
W1
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
52
30
.634
11
9-1
L1
New York Knicks (NYK)
52
30
.634
11
5-5
W2
Milwaukee Bucks (MIL)
49
33
.598
14
4-6
L1
Chicago Bulls (CHI)
47
35
.573
16
2-8
L1
Philadelphia 76ers (PHL)
46
36
.561
17
5-5
W1
Boston Celtics (BOS)
42
40
.512
21
4-6
W1
Washington Bullets (WAS)
40
42
.488
23
5-5
L2
Indiana Pacers (IND)
28
54
.341
35
6-4
W2
New Jersey Nets (NJN)
26
56
.317
37
2-8
L4
Charlotte Hornets (CHH)
20
62
.244
43
3-7
L2
The dashed line on the chart is the pace of the final playoff spot.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 4 times.
The Detroit Pistons trailed by as many as 5 games on January 23, 1989.
The Detroit Pistons took first place for good on March 22, 1989.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won 11 games in a row from December 15, 1988 to January 7, 1989, the longest run of the race.
The Cleveland Cavaliers led by 5 games as late as March 2, 1989.
The Detroit Pistons went 21-2 from March 2, 1989 to April 12, 1989, turning a deficit of 5 games into a lead of 3.5 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 47 of the 154 days played.
Six teams held first place.
The Detroit Pistons spent 79 of the season's 171 charted days in first place.