How Many Divisions Are In The NBA?
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The NBA is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference is made up of three divisions.
The NBA is divided into two conferences
The NBA is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference has three divisions. The Eastern Conference has the Atlantic Division, the Central Division, and the Southeast Division. The Western Conference has the Southwest Division, the Northwest Division, and the Pacific Division.
The Eastern Conference
The NBA Eastern Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized into three divisions. The divisional alignment began in 2004, when the NBA expanded from 29 to 30 teams with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Eastern Conference comprises the following divisions:
-Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors
-Central Division: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
-Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
The Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the association, the other being the Eastern Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions. The divisional and conference champions play each other in the NBA Finals to determine the league champion.
The Western Conference was formed at the 1948 BAA Draft by five teams who had relocated from the old Central Division of the Western Division of the BAA: the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals,Fort Wayne Pistons (now Detroit), Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now Atlanta), and Indianapolis Olympians (disbanded).
Each conference is divided into three divisions
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world. It is composed of 30 teams; 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NBA is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference is made up of three divisions.
The Atlantic Division
The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The divisional alignment was conceived by the NBA following the absorption of four teams from the defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1976 in an attempt to better balance league competition. It contains five teams located in the Northeastern United States: the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors.
In basketball, a divisional winner is a team that wins its division in their conference. The Atlantic Division champion is guaranteed one of the top four seeds in their conference’s playoff tournament. The Boston Celtics have won the most Atlantic Division titles with 22, including 21 consecutive wins from 2007 to 2018. The New York Knicks (8) and Philadelphia 76ers (9) are second and third on the list, respectively.
The Central Division
The Central Division is one of the three divisions of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Central Division consists of five teams, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Central Division was created at the start of the 1970-71 NBA season when the league expanded from 17 to 23 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Diego Rockets.
The Southeast Division
The Southeast Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, all of which are based in the southeastern United States. Teams include the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards.
The Southeast Division was formed in 2004 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Charlotte. The divisional alignment was set so that each new team was placed in a division with at least one other expansion team. The other expansion team in the Southeast Division at that time was the Miami Heat, who joined the NBA in 1988.
The Southeast Division has been relatively unstable since its formation, with only two teams (the Hawks and Heat) remaining in the division since 2004. The Hornets were originally located in Charlotte, but relocated to New Orleans in 2002 and became the Pelicans. In 2012, the Pelicans relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. In 2004, the Magic relocated from Pennsylvania to Florida and became known as the Orlando Magic.
The Wizards began as the Baltimore Bullets, but changed their name to reflect their location when they moved to Washington D.C. in 1974. The team has used several different names over its history including: Zephyrs (when they were based in New Orleans), Jazz (when they were based in Utah), and Spurs (when they were basedin San Antonio).
Over its history, there have been several notable players who have been a part of teams within the Southeast Division. LeBron James played for both the Cavaliers and Heat while Dwyane Wade played for the Heat his entire career. Additionally, Shaquille O’Neal played for both Orlando and Miami while Penny Hardaway played for Orlando during his prime years
There are a total of 30 teams in the NBA
As of the 2019-2020 season, there are 30 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). These teams are organized into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference has three divisions. In total, there are six divisions in the NBA.
15 teams in the Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Western Conference. Like the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference is made up of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
The Eastern Conference was founded in 1949 when the NBA was created. At that time, there were only two divisions: the Eastern Division and the Western Division. In 1970, a third division, the Central Division, was added. The realignment of 1983 again changed how the conference was structured. It wasn’t until 2004 that the conference returned to its current structure of three divisions.
The Eastern Conference is made up of 15 teams:
-Boston Celtics
-Brooklyn Nets
-New York Knicks
-Philadelphia 76ers
-Toronto Raptors
-Chicago Bulls
-Cleveland Cavaliers
-Detroit Pistons
-Indiana Pacers
-Milwaukee Bucks
-Atlanta Hawks
-Charlotte Hornets
-Miami Heat
-Orlando Magic
15 teams in the Western Conference
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men’s basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). It is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world. The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[7] which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. NBA players are the world’s best paid athletes by average annual salary per player.[8]
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[9][10] The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with its rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league’s several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices near Midtown Manhattan, while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The Basketball Association of America was founded by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Canada,[11] a franchise was awarded to Ben Kerner’s Minneapolis-based team.[12] George Mikan was signed as a free agent by Rochester Royals’ owner Les Harrison late in that season.[13] With Mikan a force near the basket and new rules instituted reducing physical contact and allowing zone defenses, scoring increased significantly. By 1947–48 almost all arenas had glass backboards installed to reduce fan interference during live play.[14][15]
The BAA took advantage of increased interest by scheduling games at night,[16][17][18] starting with Monday Night Baseball games,[19] using brighter court markings,[20][21][22] introducing promotional techniques such as give-away nights[23][24] and events such as All-Star Weekend.[25][26]”