| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Chicago Bulls | 69 | 13 | .841 | – |
| 2 | y-Miami Heat | 61 | 21 | .744 | 8 |
| 3 | x-New York Knicks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 12 |
| 4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 13 |
| 5 | x-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 |
| 6 | x-Charlotte Hornets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 |
| 7 | x-Orlando Magic | 45 | 37 | .549 | 24 |
| 8 | x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 25 |
| 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 27 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 39 | 43 | .476 | 30 |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 36 |
| 12 | Toronto Raptors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 39 |
| 13 | New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 43 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | 60 | .268 | 47 |
| 15 | Boston Celtics | 15 | 67 | .183 | 54 |
To use the update on any article, insert:
{{1996–97 NBA East standings}}
To highlight the Chicago Bulls, insert:
{{1996–97 NBA East standings|team=CHI}}
For the other teams, use:
- Atlanta Hawks – ATL
- Boston Celtics – BOS
- Charlotte Hornets – CHH
- Cleveland Cavaliers – CLE
- Detroit Pistons – DET
- Indiana Pacers – IND
- Miami Heat – MIA
- Milwaukee Bucks – MIL
- New Jersey Nets – NJN
- New York Knicks – NYK
- Orlando Magic – ORL
- Philadelphia 76ers – PHI
- Toronto Raptors – TOR
- Washington Bullets – WSB