| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | – |
| 2 | y-Atlanta Hawks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2 |
| 3 | x-Detroit Pistons | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7 |
| 4 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 |
| 5 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 |
| 6 | x-Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 |
| 7 | x-Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 18 |
| 8 | x-Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 |
| 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 28 |
| 10 | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
To use the update on any article, insert:
{{1986–87 NBA East standings}}
To highlight the New York Knicks, insert:
{{1986–87 NBA East standings|team=NYK}}
For the other teams, use:
- Washington Bullets - WSB
- Boston Celtics - BOS
- Cleveland Cavaliers - CLE
- Detroit Pistons - DET
- Atlanta Hawks - ATL
- Philadelphia 76ers - PHI
- New Jersey Nets - NJN
- Chicago Bulls - CHI
- Indiana Pacers - IND
- Milwaukee Bucks - MIL