What are the 6 NBA divisions?
What are the 6 NBA divisions? Every NBA fan knows that the NBA league is divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western. However, a lesser-known and less discussed topic is the one regarding divisions. Within the NBA, there are 6 distinct and unique divisions, each with its own strengths and characteristics.
The league is composed of 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
The current league organization divides 30 teams into two conferences of three divisions with five teams each. The current divisional alignment was introduced in the 2004–05 season.
Reflecting the population distribution of the United States and Canada as a whole, most teams are in the eastern half of the country: 13 teams are in the Eastern Time Zone, nine in the Central, three in the Mountain, and five in the Pacific.
While it is important to be able to draw distinctions between the two conferences, having a deeper understanding of each individual division will help you to better understand the scheduling of NBA games and how the league has been shaped and formed throughout the years.
In an effort to create a more compelling and equitable league, the NBA created divisions as a subclass within the conference system. As there are two conferences, the Eastern and Western, consisting of 15 franchise teams, those 15 teams are further divided into equal divisions of 5 teams apiece.
Why the NBA is split into two conferences?
There are a couple of reasons why the league decided to split the league up into Eastern and Western conferences.
First, there were some concerns regarding the playoff bracket if all teams were sharing one side. It wasn’t a major concern, but when conferences were introduced, few knew how this type of change would work regarding the postseason at the time.
There were NBA experts and decision-makers who were strongly against the addition of conferences. They felt that weaker teams would get into the postseason more often if their conference is weak, making the league as a whole unfair.
The league got the point that this kind of situation could arise every once in a while but they implemented the rule of conferences anyway. In recent history, the Eastern Conference looks far worse than the Western Conference but these things usually even themselves out at some point.
On top of all that, the NBA thought that adding conferences would be crucial in lowering travel time for teams, something even more prescient in modern times as we face climate change. The teams that play in the Eastern Conference would go up against teams in the same conference more than they would team in the opposite conference. Instead of having to travel across the country many times, teams could stay closer to their home arena by playing conference opponents more often than not.
How the teams are divided into 6 divisions?
In this part of the article, we are going to discuss what the 6 NBA divisions are, which teams make up each division, each division’s likelihood of winning a championship trophy, and why there are exactly six divisions within the NBA.
However, with the inclusion of divisions within the two conferences, the top-seeded teams within specific divisions and the team with the overall better record are eligible for preferential seeding in the event of ties and the same number of wins and losses for the season.
Anyway, as is the nature of the NBA, divisions can quickly become dominant powerhouses and just as quickly lose much of their former glory. With the availability of draft picks, the ability to trade players, and recruit new coaches and staff, one division may carry a conference for many years before losing its luster and steam.
Eastern Conference Divisions
As stated above, each conference is evenly divided between three divisions, each with five individual franchise NBA teams. For the Eastern Conference, the three divisions are the Atlantic, Central, and Southeast divisions.
Atlantic Division
The Atlantic Division is, historically, one of the strongest divisions within the Eastern Conference. Consists of the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Toronto Raptors. Two of these teams have won the NBA Championship in the last 13 years. The Atlantic Division is, perhaps, best led by the Brooklyn Nets for the 2021-22 season who are the top contenders not just to win the conference but the league in general. What makes the Atlantic Division even more fun are some of the biggest rivalries in the league such as the Celtics vs Knicks.
Central Division
The Central Division has lost much of its former glory, though they are beginning to rebuild their reputation behind their recent champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the Central Division, consisting of the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, and the Milwaukee Bucks was once a more dominant division.
With NBA greats having played in the division, including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Reggie Miller, and Isaiah Thomas, to name just a few, the division has a number of championship trophies and legendary playoff series. And with the Bucks’ unlikely victory in last year’s NBA season and the Bulls rebuild, the Central Division is an up and coming once again.
Southeast Division
The Southeast Division is one of the most fun divisions to watch in the entire league, however, it is not a particularly strong or powerful division. The division consists of the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic, and the Washington Wizards.
Perhaps the two best teams in the Southeast Division are none other than the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat. Both teams made it to the Eastern Conference finals in the past two seasons and have a young team who can go all the way in the near future.
Western Conference Divisions
Just like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference also has three divisions within the conference. These divisions are divided into the following: Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest divisions.
Northwest Division
The Northwest Division has some formidable teams within its roster. This division includes the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trailblazers, and the Utah Jazz. Only the Blazers have won the NBA championship out of this division and that was a long time ago, in 1977. Anyway, this division has given three MVP players in the last decade, most recently Nikola Jokic last season. The other two are Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant when they were with the Thunder.
Pacific Division
In our humble opinion, the Pacific Division is the strongest division in the league in the 2021-22 NBA season. With the likes of the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings within the division, it is not only a tough one but also a top contender for the NBA Finals trophy.
Between Steph Curry, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kawahi Leonard, and Anthony Davis, the Pacific Division is extremely stacked and is highly likely to win the NBA Finals this year and for many years to come.
Southwest Division
The Southwest Division was one of the strongest divisions in the NBA. Consisting of the Dallas Mavericks, the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the San Antonio Spurs, the Southwest Division has lost much of its former glory with the demise of the Spurs since the retirement of their three superstars.
However, there are still many reasons to watch this division, including Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic. And, as stated above, division leadership can change quickly and rapidly, particularly with a strong draft pick or trade.
How Many Games do NBA Franchise Teams Play Against Division Rivals?
Unsurprisingly, NBA franchise teams play more games against division rivals than any other NBA franchise team. For each team within a particular division, they will face off against a division rival four times in the regular season. Against rivals from the same conference, an NBA franchise team will face off against one-another a total of three times. And lastly, against opposing conference teams, an NBA franchise team will face off against one another twice within the regular season.
Which Teams Have The Most Division Titles?
There is no such thing as playing for a division title but whoever team from a certain division has the best record in the regular season is considered the division champion. There is not much benefit for the team that has won the division title but there are teams who haven’t seen a bugger success than that in their history.
The team with the most division titles is the Los Angeles Lakers who have won 34 Pacific Division titles. Next in line are the Boston Celtics with 31 Atlantic Division titles. The San Antonio Spurs have won 21 Southwest Division titles while the Milwaukee Bucks lead the Central division with 17 titles. The Atlanta Hawks are the leaders in the Southeast Division with 13 titles and the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Northwest Division with 10 titles.
List of all NBA teams and the number of division titles won
| Team | No. of titles | Division | Last win |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 34 | Pacific | 2020 |
| Boston Celtics | 31 | Atlantic | 2017 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 21 | Southwest | 2017 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 17 | Central | 2022 |
| Golden State Warriors | 13 | Pacific | 2019 |
| Miami Heat | 13 | Southwest | 2022 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 13 | Southeast | 2021 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 12 | Atlantic | 2021 |
| Detroit Pistons | 11 | Central | 2008 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 10 | Northwest | 2016 |
| Utah Jazz | 11 | Northwest | 2022 |
| Chicago Bulls | 9 | Central | 2012 |
| Denver Nuggets | 9 | Northwest | 2020 |
| Washington Wizards | 8 | Southeast | 2017 |
| New York Knicks | 8 | Atlantic | 2013 |
| Houston Rockets | 8 | Southwest | 2020 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 | Central | 2018 |
| Orlando Magic | 7 | Southeast | 2019 |
| Toronto Raptors | 7 | Atlantic | 2020 |
| Phoenix Suns | 6 | Pacific | 2022 |
| Indiana Pacers | 6 | Central | 2014 |
| Portland Trailblazers | 6 | Northwest | 2018 |
| Sacramento Kings | 5 | Pacific | 2003 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 5 | Southwest | 2021 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 4 | Atlantic | 2006 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 2 | Pacific | 2014 |
| Washington Capitals | 2 | Eastern | 1949 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 1 | Southwest | 2008 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 | Midwest | 2004 |
| Chicago Stags | 1 | Western | 1947 |
| St Louis Bombers | 1 | Western | 1948 |
| Indianapolis Olympians | 1 | Western | 1950 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | Southwest | 2022 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 0 | Southeast | / |
Which Teams Make It To The Playoffs?
To be eligible for a playoff berth, an NBA team must have one of the top ten records within their conference. Only the top ten teams within each conference are eligible for a playoff spot, with the seeding determining initial matchups. The first six teams from each conference are going straight to the Playoffs while the teams ranked from 7th to 10th place going into the Play-In tournament.
The team that is ranked seventh in the conference hosts the eighth-ranked team in the first game of the Play-in tournament. If the seventh-ranked wins the first game, then that team goes into the Playoffs and takes the seventh seed in the conference. If the eighth-ranked team wins that game, then that team does not go straight to the Playoffs but needs to win another game against the seventh seed. The following game will be hosted by the eighth-ranked team that has won the previous game. That game then, is a do-or-die game for both teams, meaning that whoever team wins that one, goes to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the conference.
The ninth and the tenth team in the conference play the same system as the seventh and the eighth-ranked teams do with the difference that the winner of that matchup does not go straight to the playoffs. The team that wins the duel between the ninth and the tenth team plays the loser of the matchup between the seventh and the eighth team. Then, these two teams play the same system and whoever ends up like a winner takes the eighth and the last seed to qualify for the playoffs.
