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games above .500 · final standings
1996-97 NBA Eastern Conference standings
The Chicago Bulls won the 1996-97 NBA Eastern Conference playoff race at 69-13, 8 games ahead of the Miami Heat.
🏆How the 1996-97 playoffs went
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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.