![]() ![]() Those games were fueled by the antagonism of their stars Michael Jordan and Isaiah Thomas, respectively.įor the 2022-2023 season, some consider the Pacific Division in the Western Conference the best one, with superstars LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers), and Steph Curry and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) capable of performing at another level. For example, the Central Division of the 1980s and 1990s was arguably the strongest in the NBA, sparked by the Chicago Bulls - Detroit Pistons rivalry. Which division figures to be the toughest? The response centers on the dominant teams of a particular era. NBA Divisions Map by Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa) (Creative Commons License) Here’s an image of how the divisional map looks: Plus, the divisional rivalries resulted in bolstering fan engagement leading to unforgettable, high-expectations matches.įor example, the Chicago Bulls-Detroit Pistons rivalry in the Central Division has produced some memorable games and the Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs clash in the Southwest pits a battle between Texas teams. So, even if their role in deciding playoff positions has been largely reduced, the 6 NBA divisions directly determine a team’s schedule, helping them to optimize their travel costs, among other things. Team records in the division served as a tiebreaker for teams vying for a playoff berth. ![]() But in 2016, the NBA ruled that playoff berths were to be determined by the best eight conference records, regardless of divisional standings. For the 2005 playoffs, division winners were guaranteed a top three-seed. With the divisions in place, qualification and seeding to the postseason had an impact. Teams play a total of 30 games against the 15 from the other conference in a home and away series.Two of the opponents will play two home games and 1 away game, while the other 2 rivals will play 2 away games and host 1 game. Teams play a total of 12 games against the remaining 4 non-divisional conference rivals, consisting of three-game matchups.Similar to the divisional matchups, each team plays 2 of these games at home and 2 away. Teams play a total of 24 games against 6 (out of a possible 10) non-divisional conference opponents, resulting in a breakdown of 4 games against each of these six teams.With 5 teams per division, divisional rivals clash 4 times, twice at home, and 2 times away. Teams play 16 games against their divisional rivals.Divisional rivalries were born, and thrived.Īccording to the current NBA schedule, teams play 82 matches during a season. The three divisions per conference carried 5 teams that were placed according to their geographical location. Once the number of NBA teams reached 30 with the Charlotte Bobcats (later Hornets) joining the 2004-2005 season, six divisions came into play consisting of 5 teams and split into two conferences of 3 divisions. The addition of the Buffalo Braves (a team that later became the Los Angeles Clippers), the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers prompted the NBA to classify the teams according to their geographical location. Why are there NBA divisions and how do each work?īy 1970, as more teams joined the NBA, the league aligned into two conferences, the Eastern and Western. Eastern Conference: Atlantic, Central, and Southeast divisions.Western Conference: Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest divisions.These changes resulted in the league’s current structure composed of two conferences, Western and Eastern, divided into six divisions. When the Charlotte Bobcats became the 30th team in the NBA prior to the 2004-2005 season, the league reorganized its divisional structure in order to optimize match schedules. ![]()
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