Name: 2002-03 NBA Eastern Conference standings
License: https://standingschart.com/about#reuse

The Detroit Pistons won the 2002-03 NBA Eastern Conference playoff race at 50-32, 1 game ahead of the New Jersey Nets. It came down to the final days: the Detroit Pistons did not lead for good until April 14, 2003.

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.