Every 1996-97 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran November 1, 1996 to April 20, 1997.
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East standings, 1996-97
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Chicago Bulls (CHI)
69
13
.841
-
6-4
L2
Miami Heat (MIA)
61
21
.744
8
7-3
W1
New York Knicks (NYK)
57
25
.695
12
6-4
W3
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
56
26
.683
13
6-4
L1
Charlotte Hornets (CHH)
54
28
.659
15
8-2
L2
Detroit Pistons (DET)
54
28
.659
15
4-6
W1
Orlando Magic (ORL)
45
37
.549
24
5-5
L3
Washington Bullets (WAS)
44
38
.537
25
7-3
W4
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
42
40
.512
27
5-5
L1
Indiana Pacers (IND)
39
43
.476
30
4-6
L3
Milwaukee Bucks (MIL)
33
49
.402
36
4-6
W1
Toronto Raptors (TOR)
30
52
.366
39
5-5
W2
New Jersey Nets (NJN)
26
56
.317
43
3-7
W2
Philadelphia 76ers (PHI)
22
60
.268
47
1-9
L2
Boston Celtics (BOS)
15
67
.183
54
2-8
L1
The dashed line on the chart is the pace of the final playoff spot.
Turning points
Wire to wire: the Chicago Bulls led from the first charted day to the last.
The Chicago Bulls won 12 games in a row from November 1, 1996 to November 21, 1996, the longest run of the race.
The Chicago Bulls led by as many as 9.5 games on April 14, 1997.
The Chicago Bulls went 17-1 from December 10, 1996 to January 17, 1997, turning a lead of half a game into a lead of 6 games.
Seven teams held first place.
The Chicago Bulls spent 171 of the season's 171 charted days in first place.