The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks. All teams, except the Cavaliers, are former Midwest Division teams, hence the Central Division now largely resembling the Midwest Division in the 1970s.
The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The league realigned itself into two conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, with two divisions each in each conference. The Central Division began with four inaugural members, the Atlanta Hawks, the Baltimore Bullets, the Cincinnati Royals and the Cleveland Cavaliers.[1] The Hawks joined from the Western Division, while the Bullets and the Royals joined from the Eastern Division.
The Pistons have won the most Central Division titles with nine. The Bulls have won the second most titles with eight. Ten NBA champions came from the Central Division. The Bulls won six championships, the Pistons won three championships and the Bullets won one championship. All of them, except the 1977–78 Bullets and the 2003–04 Pistons, were division champions. In the 2005–06 season, all five teams from the division qualified for the playoffs. The most recent division champion is the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Central Division existed for one season in the 1949–50 season as one of the three divisions in the NBA, along with the Western and the Eastern Division. On the other hand, the current Central Division that was formed in the 1970, is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference, the successor of the Eastern Division.
Standings
Notes
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Teams
- Notes
| Team |
City |
Year |
From |
Year |
To |
Current division |
|---|
| Joined |
Left |
| Atlanta Hawks |
Atlanta, Georgia |
1970 |
Western Division |
2004 |
Southeast Division |
Southeast Division |
| Charlotte Hornets (1988–2002; 2004–present, |
Charlotte, North Carolina |
1990 |
Midwest Division |
2002* |
Southeast Division |
Southeast Division |
| Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972, now Sacramento Kings) |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
1970 |
Eastern Division |
1972 |
Midwest Division
(as Kansas City–Omaha Kings) |
Pacific Division |
| Houston Rockets |
Houston, Texas |
1972 |
Western Division |
1980 |
Midwest Division |
Southwest Division |
| New Orleans Hornets (2002–present, now New Orleans Pelicans) |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
2002* |
— |
2004 |
Southwest Division |
Southwest Division |
| New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979, now Utah Jazz) |
New Orleans, Louisiana |
1974 |
— |
1979 |
Midwest Division
(as Utah Jazz) |
Northwest Division |
| Orlando Magic |
Orlando, Florida |
1989 |
— |
1990 |
Midwest Division |
Southeast Division |
| San Antonio Spurs |
San Antonio, Texas |
1976 |
ABA |
1980 |
Midwest Division |
Southwest Division |
| Toronto Raptors |
Toronto, Ontario |
1995 |
— |
2004 |
Atlantic Division |
Atlantic Division |
Washington Bullets (1974–1997, now Washington Wizards)
Capital Bullets (1973–1974)
Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) |
Landover, Maryland
Landover, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland |
1970 |
Eastern Division |
1978 |
Atlantic Division |
Southeast Division |
- Notes
- denotes an expansion team.
- denotes a team that merged from the American Basketball Association (ABA).
- * The Charlotte NBA franchise was inactive from 2002 to 2004 upon the relocation of the Hornets to New Orleans. A new franchise, initially known as the Bobcats, began play in the 2004–05 season. In 2013, the New Orleans Hornets were renamed the Pelicans, and the following season, the Bobcats were renamed the Hornets, acquiring the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets while retroactively designating the Pelicans as an expansion team.
Team timeline
|
Denotes team that currently in the division |
|
Denotes team that has left the division |
Division champions
| ^ |
Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season |
Titles by team
| ^ |
Denotes team that has left the division |
| Team |
Titles |
Season(s) won |
|---|
| Detroit Pistons | 9 | 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 |
| Chicago Bulls | 8 | 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2010–11, 2011–12 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 7 | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 2000–01 |
| Indiana Pacers | 6 | 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2012–13, 2013–14 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | 1975–76, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets^ (now Washington Wizards) | 5 | 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75 |
| Atlanta Hawks^ | 3 | 1979–80, 1986–87, 1993–94 |
| San Antonio Spurs^ | 2 | 1977–78, 1978–79 |
| Houston Rockets^ | 1 | 1976–77 |
Season results
Rivalries
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons
1949–50 season
Before the 1949–50 season, the BAA merged with the NBL and was renamed NBA. The number of teams competed increased from 12 teams to 17 teams and the league realigned itself to three divisions, creating the Central Division. The division consisted of five teams, the Chicago Stags, the Fort Wayne Pistons, the Minneapolis Lakers, the Rochester Royals and the St. Louis Bombers. All five teams joined from the Western Division. The Minneapolis Lakers won the Central Division title. The division was disbanded before the 1950–51 season, after 6 teams folded and the league realigned itself back into two divisions. The Stags and the Bombers folded, while the other three teams returned to the Western Division.
Notes
- a 1 2 Because of a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, and all 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule.[2]
- b 1 2 Because of a lockout, the season did not start until December 25, 2011, and all 30 teams played a shortened 66-game regular season schedule.[3]
- In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, the NBA canceled the April 16 game scheduled in Boston between the Celtics and the Pacers; the game was not rescheduled because it would have had no impact on either team's playoff seedings.[4]
References
- General
- Specific
External links
