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The NBA is split into two conferences, the East and the West. Each conference has three divisions. The Atlantic, Central and Southeast are the divisions making up the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the divisions of the Western Conference are Northwest, Pacific and Southwest.
The entry of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004 brought the total number of teams to 30, making it logical to create three divisions per conference. There are now five teams comprising a division. Divisions help with the logistics of travel and cost.
How the NBA bases its scheduling based on divisions and conferences
Making the schedule is one of the toughest jobs NBA organizers have on their plate. They have venue availability to consider, local holidays and other matters of importance that could affect a potential play date.
Every team has an 82-game schedule, evenly divided into 41 home and 41 road games. It’s with this basic principle that divisions and conferences matter in making a regular-season calendar.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the league reduced its number of games. During the 2019-20 season, the NBA played only 72 games. The 82-game schedule was re-installed starting the 2020-21 campaign.
Each division has five teams. A single team will play against the four teams in that division four times, which will result in 16 (4*4) games.
Four games will also be scheduled against opponents from the same conference but not from the same division. That brings the total to 24 (4*6) games
The rest of the 30 games will be played against opponents from the other conference. Each team will play a specific opponent twice, thus hitting 30 (15*2) games.
The NBA's framework based on conferences and divisions
Eastern Conference
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
Western Conference
Northwest Division
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- OKC Thunder
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
Pacific Division
- Golden State Warriors
- LA Clippers
- LA Lakers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
Southwest Division
- Dallas Mavericks
- Houston Rockets
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Hornets
- San Antonio Spurs
