There are 6 Divisions in the NBA, Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest. The 30 NBA teams are split into 2 conferences, with 3 Divisions in each conference. The NBA teams are split into the following divisions:
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Atlantic Division | Central Division | South East Division |
| Boston Celtics | Chicago Bulls | Atlanta Hawks |
| New Jersey Nets | Cleveland Cavaliers | Charlotte Hornets |
| New York Knicks | Detroit Pistons | Miami Heat |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Indiana Pacers | Orlando Magic |
| Toronto Raptors | Milwaukee Bucks | Washington Wizards |
| Western Conference | ||
| Northwest Division | Pacific Division | Southwest Division |
| Denver Nuggets | Golden State Warriors | Dallas Mavericks |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Los Angeles Clippers | Houston Rockets |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Los Angeles Lakers | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Phoenix Suns | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Utah Jazz | Sacramento Kings | San Antonio Spurs |
For ease of reference we have also included an info-graphic of how the NBA divisions are split.
Winning a particular division is not as massively celebrated as winning a specific conference, but it is always motivating to beat other, “local” teams and clinch the first available title of the season. In this article, we will talk more about each NBA Division and how they formed. We have put together this article into video format below.
Why are there NBA Divisions?
The purpose of NBA Divisions is to group teams geographically, due to the shear size of the territory the NBA covers. NBA teams will play teams from their own Division 4 times each, 2 road and 2 home. This totals just 16 of their total 82 game schedule. They will then play against the remaining 10 teams from their conference wither 3 or 4 times. Accounting for 36 games in total. The remaining 30 games are played against the teams from the opposing NBA Conference, Home & Road vs each of the 15 teams.
An NBA teams schedule is composed of the following games:
- 16 NBA Division Games
- 36 NBA Conference Games
- 30 Games vs Opposing NBA Conference
- 82 Regular Season Games Total
Understanding the Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference is divided into 3 divisions that are:
- Atlantic
- Central
- Southeast
Let’s review each of them and the teams that are playing against each other.
Atlantic Division
There are 5 teams in the Atlantic Division. The Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. They compete in the Eastern Conference of the NBA.
The Division system has been around since the inception of the NBA in the 1940’s. The Atlantic Division was formed in 1970, originally consisting of the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers and the now defunct Buffalo Braves. The Boston Celtics are one of the NBA’s original teams and also the most successful team in the NBA having won the most NBA Championships.
Central Division
In the Central Division, there are the following teams: the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls. They compete in the Eastern Conference of the NBA.
The Division system has been around since the inception of the NBA in the 1940’s. The Central Division was re-formed in 1970 (having previously existed for the 1949-50 season) consisting of 4 teams; The Atlanta Hawks, Baltimore Bullets, Cincinnati Royals and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The majority of these teams moved over from the now defunct Midwest Division as the NBA expanded to 17 teams, from 14 and split into East and Western conferences.
Southeast Division
The Southeast Division has the following teams: the Atlanta Hawks, the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat, the Charlotte Hornets and the Washington Wizards. They compete in the Eastern Conference of the NBA.
The Division system has been around since the inception of the NBA in the 1940’s. The Southeast Division was formed in 2004, when the league expanded to its current 30 team size. The Southeast Division originally consisted of 5 teams; The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and The Washington Wizards. The Bobcats were the new addition to the NBA, 3 teams came from the Atlantic Division, while the Hawks moved over from the Central Division.
Understanding the Western Conference
As we have talked about the Eastern Conference, now we should move to its counterpart out West where the 3 divisions are:
- Northwest;
- Pacific;
- Southwest.
Northwest Division
In the Northwest Division, we can witness the following teams: the Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. They compete in the Western Conference of the NBA.
The Division system has been around since the inception of the NBA in the 1940’s. The Northwest Division was formed in 2004 originally consisting of 5 teams; Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Seattle Supersonics, Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Pacific Division
The Pacific Division contains the following 5 teams: the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, the Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns. They compete in the Western Conference of the NBA.
The Division system has been around since the inception of the NBA in the 1940’s. The Pacific Division was formed in 1970 originally consisting of The LA Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego Rockets, San Francisco Warriors and The Seattle SuperSonics.
Southwest Division
In the Southwest Division, there are the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans. The latter 2 were the latest to join the division after relocating from other cities. They compete in the Western Conference of the NBA.
The Division system has been around since the inception of the NBA in the 1940’s. The Southwest Division was formed in 2004 when the NBA expanded to its current 30 teams. The Southwest Division originally consisted of 5 teams; The Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs.
NBA Divisions Map
Have you ever wondered how the NBA Divisions are split on a map across North America? We have looked into this and put together an NBA Divisions Map below. The map highlights how the divisions are split between the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, as well as geographically. At a quick glance you can see that the North West Division, Pacific Division and South West Division belong to the Western Conference. The Atlantic Division, Central Division and South East Divisions belong to the Eastern Conference.
How do NBA Divisions impact playoffs and scheduling?
The structure of the NBA Divisions can have a crucial role in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Impact on Scheduling
As we have explained in this article, the majority of regular-season games are played against divisional and conference rivals. Teams will play their divisional opponent four times per season, which in theory is meant to create more rivalry- driven match-ups. If there is a tiebreak for playoff seeding then the end position of an NBA team within their division can determine their playoff seeding.
Impact on Playoff Seeding
Pre-2015 winning a division guaranteed a top seed in the playoff however, this rule was changed in 2015. Seeding is decided on each conference seeding however if the standings are close then divisional teams give teams an advantage. As an example, if there are two teams with identical records the team with the better divisional record gets the higher seeding.
The Evolution of NBA Divisions: A Historical Perspective on Conference and Team Realignments
When the NBA was first created there were two divisions the Western Divisions and the Easter Division. This was largely the structure of the league until 1970, I say largely as there was a Central Division in the 1950’s very briefly but this soon disappeared due to teams folding. In 1970 the Western Conference was created with the Midwest Division and Pacific Division. The Eastern Conference consisted of the Atlantic Division and Central Division.
Although teams moved between the divisions due to relocation or new teams entering the league and names of divisions were changes, there were no new divisions until 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats were created as the thirtieth team of the NBA. The Western Conference created new division and now had Northwest Division, Pacific Division and Southwest Division. The Easter Conference was made up of Atlantic Division, Central Division and South East Division.
We have noted all structural changes in the NBA divisions from inception to present day in the below video.