Every 2002-03 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran October 29, 2002 to April 16, 2003.
Loading season data…
East standings, 2002-03
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Detroit Pistons (DET)
50
32
.610
-
4-6
L1
New Jersey Nets (NJN)
49
33
.598
1
5-5
L2
Indiana Pacers (IND)
48
34
.585
2
6-4
W2
Philadelphia 76ers (PHI)
48
34
.585
2
5-5
W1
New Orleans Hornets (NOH)
47
35
.573
3
7-3
W5
Boston Celtics (BOS)
44
38
.537
6
6-4
W2
Milwaukee Bucks (MIL)
42
40
.512
8
8-2
W4
Orlando Magic (ORL)
42
40
.512
8
4-6
L2
New York Knicks (NYK)
37
45
.451
13
5-5
L1
Washington Wizards (WAS)
37
45
.451
13
3-7
L3
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
35
47
.427
15
6-4
L1
Chicago Bulls (CHI)
30
52
.366
20
4-6
W1
Miami Heat (MIA)
25
57
.305
25
3-7
W1
Toronto Raptors (TOR)
24
58
.293
26
1-9
L8
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
17
65
.207
33
3-7
W1
The dashed line on the chart is the pace of the final playoff spot.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 12 times.
The Detroit Pistons trailed by as many as 4 games on January 27, 2003.
The Detroit Pistons took first place for good on April 14, 2003.
The New Jersey Nets won 10 games in a row from December 19, 2002 to January 6, 2003, the longest run of the race.
The Indiana Pacers led by 2.5 games as late as January 28, 2003.
The Detroit Pistons led by as many as 2.5 games on March 20, 2003.
The Detroit Pistons went 9-1 from January 27, 2003 to February 20, 2003, turning a deficit of 4 games into a lead of 1 game.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 122 of the 163 days played.
The Detroit Pistons spent 52 of the season's 170 charted days in first place.