![]() ![]() Oklahoma City Thunder – The OKC Thunder only joined the league in 2008, but they trace their roots to the Seattle SuperSonics that played in the league from 1967 to 2007.Minnesota Timberwolves – The Wolves joined in 1989 and won their lone division title in 2004 when Kevin Garnett led them.Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets joined in 1976 and have won the division nine times in its franchise history.Here are the teams that comprise the Northwest Division: Because of this, this division is geographically the largest in the league. The Northwest division comprises teams from three regions in the country - three teams from the Midwest, one from the South, and one from the Midwest. What Teams Make Up the Western Conference? Northwest Division The path of an NBA champion is composed of winning a 7-game series four times - three against teams in the same conference and one against the champion from the other side of the country. The conference system also helps teams battle the conference counterparts they will most likely meet in the NBA Playoffs. All these games determine the seeding and shape of how the NBA Playoffs will look like. Also, teams can dedicate more time to recovery and practice instead of travel because of this. With this system, teams wouldn’t need to cross the country as much. ![]() Every team will battle the other four teams in their division four times for a total of 16 intradivision games.įinally, the teams will play every team outside their division but within their conference three or four times for 16 more games. In the West, the divisions are North West, Pacific, and South West. In the Eastern Conference, the divisions are Atlantic, Central, and South East. This setup leaves 52 of the 82 games to be played against teams from the same conference.įurthermore, the conference system is broken down into six divisions (three per conference) of five closely-situated teams. Throughout the year, every team will battle every team from the other conference twice for 30 games. All 30 teams play 82 games each, and having conferences helps the NBA schedule the games. ![]() One of the main points of creating the conference was to help out with the logistics of the regular season. On the other hand, the Eastern Conference is also made up of 15 teams, mainly from the Midwest and Northeast. Today, the NBA Western Conference comprises 15 teams from the West and the South. Seven more teams would join the NBA from 1988 to 2004 to reach the present total of 30 teams. ![]() Case in point, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics - the two most accomplished teams - are more than 3000 miles away from each other.Īfter the 1975-1976 season, the NBA merged with its competitor, the American Basketball Association (ABA), bringing the number of NBA teams to 23. The number of NBA teams wasn’t just growing they were also getting farther away. So, by 1970, the NBA formally divided the then 17-team league into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. However, as basketball became more popular through the years, the NBA saw more teams joining the league. The 11-team league didn’t need to divide the teams in any way. In fact, the Toronto Huskies and the Knickerbockers played the first NBA game - two teams that were a mere 8-hour drive or 1-hour flight away from each other. Traveling between games back then was easier because teams didn’t have to go too far from their home court. The first 11 were the following:Īll these teams were situated in the East to Midwest regions of the US. Originally, when the league started in 1946, the NBA only had 11 teams. Western Conference: Which is Better Historically in the NBA? Why is the NBA Split Into Conferences? Wrapping Things Up: Eastern Conference vs. ![]()
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