| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Detroit Pistons | 63 | 19 | .768 | – |
| 2 | y-New York Knicks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 11 |
| 3 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 57 | 25 | .695 | 6 |
| 4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 49 | 33 | .598 | 14 |
| 6 | x-Chicago Bulls | 47 | 35 | .573 | 16 |
| 7 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 17 |
| 8 | x-Boston Celtics | 42 | 40 | .512 | 21 |
| 9 | Washington Bullets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 23 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 35 |
| 11 | New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 37 |
| 12 | Charlotte Hornets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 43 |
To use the update on any article, insert:
{{1988–89 NBA East standings}}
To highlight the Detroit Pistons, insert:
{{1988–89 NBA East standings|team=DET}}
For the other teams, use:
- Atlanta Hawks - ATL
- Boston Celtics - BOS
- Charlotte Hornets - CHH
- Chicago Bulls - CHI
- Cleveland Cavaliers - CLE
- Detroit Pistons - DET
- Indiana Pacers - IND
- New York Knicks - NYK
- New Jersey Nets - NJN
- Milwaukee Bucks - MIL
- Philadelphia 76ers - PHI
- Washington Bullets - WSB