Central Division (NBA)
Division of the National Basketball Association / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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; thus, the Central Division now largely resembles the Midwest Division in the 1970s.
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Inaugural season | 1970–71 season |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Milwaukee Bucks (12th title) |
| Most titles | Milwaukee Bucks (12 titles) |
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 Cavaliers.[1] The Hawks joined from the Western Division, while the Bullets and the Royals joined from the Eastern Division.
Thirteen NBA champions came from the Central Division. The Bulls won six championships, the Pistons won three, the Bucks won two, and the Bullets and Cavaliers won one each. All of the teams, 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. Overall, the Bucks have won twelve Central Division titles, followed by the Bulls and Pistons with nine division titles each. In 2022, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo stated he was open to playing for the Chicago Bulls in the future. The Central Division has the highest percentage of teams that have won a championship, with four out of the five teams winning the NBA championship, with the Pacers being the only franchise in the division never to have won.
The Central Division previously existed for one season, the 1949–50 season, as one of three divisions in the NBA, along with the Western and Eastern divisions. The current Central Division that was formed in 1970 is one of three divisions in the Eastern Conference.
Since the 2021–22 season, the Central Division champion has received the Wayne Embry Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Wayne Embry.[2]