Central Division (NBA) explained

Central Division
Conference:	Eastern Conference
League:	National Basketball Association
Sport:	Basketball
Inaugural:	1970–71 season
Teams:	5
Champion:	Milwaukee Bucks (13th title)
Most Champs:	Milwaukee Bucks (13 titles)

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.

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 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 were moved from the Western Division, while the Bullets and the Royals were moved 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. The Central Division has the highest percentage of teams that have won a championship, with four out of the five teams having won an NBA title. The Pacers are the lone exception, although they did advance to the NBA Finals in 2000.

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]

2023–24 standings

See main article: article and 2023–24 NBA season. Notes

y – Clinched division
x – Clinched playoff spot
pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot

Teams

Team	City	Year	From	Arena
Team	City	Joined
Chicago Bulls	Chicago, Illinois		Midwest Division	United Center
Cleveland Cavaliers	Cleveland, Ohio		—	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Detroit Pistons	Detroit, Michigan		Midwest Division	Little Caesars Arena
Indiana Pacers	Indianapolis, Indiana		Midwest Division	Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Milwaukee Bucks	Milwaukee, Wisconsin		Midwest Division	Fiserv Forum

Notes

denotes an expansion team.

Former teams

Team	City	Year	From	Year	To	Current division
Team	City	Joined		Left		Current division
Atlanta Hawks	Atlanta, Georgia		Western Division		Southeast Division	Southeast Division
Charlotte Hornets (–; –present)	Charlotte, North Carolina		Midwest Division		Southeast Division	Southeast Division
Cincinnati Royals (–, now Sacramento Kings)	Cincinnati, Ohio	1970	Eastern Division		Midwest Division (as Kansas City–Omaha Kings)	Pacific Division
Houston Rockets	Houston, Texas		Western Division		Midwest Division	Southwest Division
New Orleans Hornets (–present, now New Orleans Pelicans)	New Orleans, Louisiana		—	2004	Southwest Division	Southwest Division
New Orleans Jazz (–, now Utah Jazz)	New Orleans, Louisiana		—		Midwest Division (as Utah Jazz)	Northwest Division
Orlando Magic	Orlando, Florida		—		Midwest Division	Southeast Division
San Antonio Spurs	San Antonio, Texas		ABA	1980	Midwest Division	Southwest Division
Toronto Raptors	Toronto, Ontario		—	2004	Atlantic Division	Atlantic Division
Washington Bullets (–, now Washington Wizards) Capital Bullets Baltimore Bullets (–)	Landover, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland	1970	Eastern Division		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

bgcolor=#E5D3C9 align=center width=10px		Denotes team that currently in the division
bgcolor=#B29999 align=center width=10px		Denotes team that has left the division

DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25Period = from:1970 till:2021TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:20 left:20 bottom:20 top:0

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white

PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:tan2 from:1970 till:2004 text:Atlanta Hawks (1970–2004) bar:2 color:tan2 from:1970 till:1978 text:Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets (1970–1978) bar:3 color:tan2 from:1970 till:1972 text:Cincinnati Royals (1970–1972) bar:4 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:Cleveland Cavaliers (1970–present) bar:5 color:tan2 from:1972 till:1980 text:Houston Rockets (1972–1980) bar:6 color:tan2 from:1974 till:1979 text:New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979) bar:7 color:tan2 from:1976 till:1980 text:San Antonio Spurs (1976–1980) bar:8 color:tan1 from:1978 till:end text:Detroit Pistons (1978–present) bar:9 color:tan1 from:1979 till:end text:Indiana Pacers (1979–present) bar:10 color:tan1 from:1980 till:end text:Chicago Bulls (1980–present) bar:11 color:tan1 from:1980 till:end text:Milwaukee Bucks (1980–present) bar:12 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text:Orlando Magic (1989–1990) bar:13 color:tan2 from:1990 till:2002 text:Charlotte Hornets (1990–2002) bar:14 color:tan2 from:1995 till:2004 text:Toronto Raptors (1995–2004) bar:15 color:tan2 from:2002 till:2004 text:New Orleans Hornets (2002–2004)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1970

Wayne Embry Trophy

Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Central Division champion has received the Wayne Embry Trophy. As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the African American pioneers from NBA history. Wayne Embry became the NBA's first African American general manager when he was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. The Embry Trophy consists of a NaN200 crystal ball.^[3]

Division champions

bgcolor=#FFFF99 align=center width=10px	^	Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season

Team	Record	Playoffs result
Baltimore Bullets	42–40 (.512)	Lost NBA Finals
Baltimore Bullets	38–44 (.463)	Lost conference semifinals
Baltimore Bullets	52–30 (.634)	Lost conference semifinals
Capital Bullets	47–35 (.573)	Lost conference semifinals
Washington Bullets^	60–22 (.732)	Lost NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers	49–33 (.598)	Lost conference finals
Houston Rockets	49–33 (.598)	Lost conference finals
San Antonio Spurs	52–30 (.634)	Lost conference semifinals
San Antonio Spurs	48–34 (.585)	Lost conference finals
Atlanta Hawks	50–32 (.610)	Lost conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	60–22 (.732)	Lost conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	55–27 (.671)	Lost conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	51–31 (.622)	Lost conference finals
Milwaukee Bucks	50–32 (.610)	Lost conference finals
Milwaukee Bucks	59–23 (.720)	Lost conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	57–25 (.695)	Lost conference finals
Atlanta Hawks	57–25 (.695)	Lost conference semifinals
Detroit Pistons	54–28 (.659)	Lost NBA Finals
Detroit Pistons^	63–19 (.768)	Won NBA Finals
Detroit Pistons	59–23 (.720)	Won NBA Finals
Chicago Bulls	61–21 (.744)	Won NBA Finals
Chicago Bulls^	67–15 (.817)	Won NBA Finals
Chicago Bulls	57–25 (.695)	Won NBA Finals
Atlanta Hawks	57–25 (.695)	Lost conference semifinals
Indiana Pacers	52–30 (.634)	Lost conference finals
Chicago Bulls^	72–10 (.878)	Won NBA Finals
Chicago Bulls^	69–13 (.841)	Won NBA Finals
Chicago Bulls^	62–20 (.756)	Won NBA Finals
Indiana Pacers	33–17 (.660)	Lost conference finals
Indiana Pacers	56–26 (.683)	Lost NBA Finals
Milwaukee Bucks	52–30 (.634)	Lost conference finals
Detroit Pistons	50–32 (.610)	Lost conference semifinals
Detroit Pistons	50–32 (.610)	Lost conference finals
Indiana Pacers^	61–21 (.744)	Lost conference finals
Detroit Pistons	54–28 (.659)	Lost NBA Finals
Detroit Pistons^	64–18 (.780)	Lost conference finals
Detroit Pistons	53–29 (.646)	Lost conference finals
Detroit Pistons	59–23 (.720)	Lost conference finals
Cleveland Cavaliers^	66–16 (.805)	Lost conference finals
Cleveland Cavaliers^	61–21 (.744)	Lost conference semifinals
Chicago Bulls^	62–20 (.756)	Lost conference finals
Chicago Bulls^	50–16 (.758)	Lost first round
Indiana Pacers	49–32 (.605)	Lost conference finals
Indiana Pacers	56–26 (.683)	Lost conference finals
Cleveland Cavaliers	53–29 (.646)	Lost NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers	57–25 (.695)	Won NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers	51–31 (.622)	Lost NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers	50–32 (.610)	Lost NBA Finals
Milwaukee Bucks^	60–22 (.732)	Lost conference finals
Milwaukee Bucks^	56–17 (.767)	Lost conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	46–26 (.639)	Won NBA Finals
Milwaukee Bucks	51–31 (.622)	Lost conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks^	58–24 (.707)	Lost first round
Milwaukee Bucks	49–33 (.598)	Lost first round

Titles by team

bgcolor=#FBCEB1 align=center width=10px	^	Denotes team that has left the division

Team	Titles	Season(s) won
	13	,,,,,,,,,,,,
	9	,,,,,,,,
	8	,,,,,,,
	7	,,,,,,
	6	,,,,,
Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets^ (now Washington Wizards)	5	,,,,
Atlanta Hawks^	3	,,
San Antonio Spurs^	2	,
Houston Rockets^	1

Season results

bgcolor=#FFCC00 align=center width=10px	^	Denotes team that won the NBA championships
bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align=center width=10px	⁺	Denotes team that won the Conference finals, but lost the NBA Finals
bgcolor=#CCFFCC align=center width=10px		Denotes team that qualified for the NBA Playoffs
bgcolor=#FFCCFF align=center width=10px	×	Denotes team that qualified for the NBA play-in tournament
align=center width=10px	†	Denotes team that did not qualify for the 2020 NBA Bubble season restart

Season	Team (record)
Season	width=150px	1st	width=150px	2nd	width=150px	3rd	width=150px	4th	width=150px	5th	width=150px	6th	width=150px	7th	width=150px	8th
1970: The Central Division was formed with four inaugural members. An expansion team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, joined the division. The Atlanta Hawks joined from the Western Division, while the Cincinnati Royals and the Baltimore Bullets joined from the Eastern Division.
	Baltimore⁺ (42–40)	Atlanta (36–46)	Cincinnati (33–49)	Cleveland (15–67)
	Baltimore (38–44)	Atlanta (36–46)	Cincinnati (30–52)	Cleveland (23–59)
1972: The Houston Rockets joined from the Pacific Division. The Cincinnati Royals, who relocated and became the Kansas City–Omaha Kings, left to join the Midwest Division.
	Baltimore (52–30)	Atlanta (46–36)	Houston (33–49)	Cleveland (32–50)
1973: The Baltimore Bullets relocated and became the Capital Bullets.
	Capital (47–35)	Atlanta (35–47)	Houston (32–50)	Cleveland (29–53)
1974: An expansion team, the New Orleans Jazz, joined the division. The Capital Bullets were renamed the Washington Bullets.
	Washington⁺ (60–22)	Houston (41–41)	Cleveland (40–42)	Atlanta (31–51)	New Orleans (23–59)
	Cleveland (49–33)	Washington (48–34)	Houston (40–42)	New Orleans (38–44)	Atlanta (29–53)
1976: An American Basketball Association (ABA) team that merged with the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs, joined the division.
	Houston (49–33)	Washington (48–34)	San Antonio (44–38)	Cleveland (43–39)	New Orleans (35–47)	Atlanta (31–51)
	San Antonio (52–30)	Washington^ (44–38)	Cleveland (43–39)	Atlanta (41–41)	New Orleans (39–43)	Houston (28–54)
1978: The Detroit Pistons joined from the Midwest Division. The Washington Bullets left to join the Atlantic Division.
	San Antonio (48–34)	Houston (47–35)	Atlanta (46–36)	Detroit (30–52)	Cleveland (30–52)	New Orleans (26–56)
1979: The Indiana Pacers joined from the Midwest Division. The New Orleans Jazz, who relocated and became the Utah Jazz, left to join the Midwest Division.
	Atlanta (50–32)	Houston (41–41)	San Antonio (41–41)	Indiana (37–45)	Cleveland (37–45)	Detroit (16–66)
1980: The Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks joined from the Midwest Division. The Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs left to join the Midwest Division.
	Milwaukee (60–22)	Chicago (45–37)	Indiana (44–38)	Atlanta (31–51)	Cleveland (28–54)	Detroit (21–61)
	Milwaukee (55–27)	Atlanta (42–40)	Detroit (39–43)	Indiana (35–47)	Chicago (34–48)	Cleveland (15–67)
	Milwaukee (51–31)	Atlanta (43–39)	Detroit (37–45)	Chicago (28–54)	Cleveland (23–59)	Indiana (20–62)
	Milwaukee (50–32)	Detroit (49–33)	Atlanta (40–42)	Cleveland (28–54)	Chicago (27–55)	Indiana (26–56)
	Milwaukee (59–23)	Detroit (46–36)	Chicago (38–44)	Cleveland (36–46)	Atlanta (34–48)	Indiana (22–60)
	Milwaukee (57–25)	Atlanta (50–32)	Detroit (46–36)	Chicago (30–52)	Cleveland (29–53)	Indiana (26–56)
	Atlanta (57–25)	Detroit (52–30)	Milwaukee (50–32)	Indiana (41–41)	Chicago (40–42)	Cleveland (31–51)
	Detroit⁺ (54–28)	Chicago (50–32)	Atlanta (50–32)	Milwaukee (42–40)	Cleveland (42–40)	Indiana (38–44)
	Detroit^ (63–19)	Cleveland (57–25)	Atlanta (52–30)	Milwaukee (49–33)	Chicago (47–35)	Indiana (28–54)
1989: An expansion team, the Orlando Magic, joined the division temporarily for one season.
	Detroit^ (59–23)	Chicago (55–27)	Milwaukee (44–38)	Indiana (42–40)	Cleveland (42–40)	Atlanta (41–41)	Orlando (18–64)
1990: The Charlotte Hornets joined from the Midwest Division. The Orlando Magic left to join the Midwest Division temporarily for one season, then the Atlantic Division permanently thereafter.
	Chicago^ (61–21)	Detroit (50–32)	Milwaukee (48–34)	Atlanta (43–39)	Indiana (41–41)	Cleveland (33–49)	Charlotte (26–56)
	Chicago^ (67–15)	Cleveland (57–25)	Detroit (48–34)	Indiana (40–42)	Atlanta (38–44)	Milwaukee (31–51)	Charlotte (31–51)
	Chicago^ (57–25)	Cleveland (54–28)	Charlotte (44–38)	Atlanta (43–39)	Indiana (41–41)	Detroit (40–42)	Milwaukee (28–54)
	Atlanta (57–25)	Chicago (55–27)	Indiana (47–35)	Cleveland (47–35)	Charlotte (41–41)	Milwaukee (20–62)	Detroit (20–62)
	Indiana (52–30)	Charlotte (50–32)	Chicago (47–35)	Cleveland (43–39)	Atlanta (42–40)	Milwaukee (34–48)	Detroit (28–54)
1995: An expansion team, the Toronto Raptors, joined the division.
	Chicago^ (72–10)	Indiana (52–30)	Cleveland (47–35)	Atlanta (46–36)	Detroit (46–36)	Charlotte (41–41)	Milwaukee (25–57)	Toronto (21–61)
	Chicago^ (69–13)	Atlanta (56–26)	Detroit (54–28)	Charlotte (54–28)	Cleveland (42–40)	Indiana (39–43)	Milwaukee (33–49)	Toronto (30–52)
	Chicago^ (62–20)	Indiana (58–24)	Charlotte (51–31)	Atlanta (50–32)	Cleveland (47–35)	Detroit (37–45)	Milwaukee (36–46)	Toronto (16–66)
	Indiana (33–17)	Atlanta (31–19)	Detroit (29–21)	Milwaukee (28–22)	Charlotte (26–24)	Toronto (23–27)	Cleveland (22–28)	Chicago (13–37)
	Indiana⁺ (56–26)	Charlotte (49–33)	Toronto (45–37)	Detroit (42–40)	Milwaukee (42–40)	Cleveland (32–50)	Atlanta (28–54)	Chicago (17–65)
	Milwaukee (52–30)	Toronto (47–35)	Charlotte (46–36)	Indiana (41–41)	Detroit (32–50)	Cleveland (30–52)	Atlanta (25–57)	Chicago (15–67)
	Detroit (50-32)	Charlotte (44–38)	Toronto (42–40)	Indiana (42-40)	Milwaukee (41–41)	Atlanta (33–49)	Cleveland (29–53)	Chicago (21–61)
2002: The Charlotte Hornets relocated and became the New Orleans Hornets. The New Orleans franchise, now known as the Pelicans, were retroactively designated as an expansion team in 2014, when the current Charlotte Hornets acquired the historical records of the 1988–2002 Hornets, while the Pelicans kept records of the Hornets after relocation to New Orleans.
	Detroit (50–32)	Indiana (48–34)	New Orleans (47–35)	Milwaukee (42–40)	Atlanta (35–47)	Chicago (30–52)	Toronto (24–58)	Cleveland (17–65)
	Indiana (61–21)	Detroit^ (54–28)	New Orleans (41–41)	Milwaukee (41–41)	Cleveland (35–47)	Toronto (33–49)	Atlanta (28–54)	Chicago (23–59)
2004: The New Orleans Hornets left to join the Southwest Division. The Atlanta Hawks left to join the Southeast Division. The Toronto Raptors left to join the Atlantic Division.
	Detroit⁺ (54–28)	Chicago (47–35)	Indiana (44–38)	Cleveland (42–40)	Milwaukee (30–52)
	Detroit (64–18)	Cleveland (50–32)	Indiana (41–41)	Chicago (41–41)	Milwaukee (40–42)
	Detroit (53–29)	Cleveland⁺ (50–32)	Chicago (49–33)	Indiana (35–47)	Milwaukee (28–54)
	Detroit (59–23)	Cleveland (45–37)	Indiana (36–46)	Chicago (33–49)	Milwaukee (26–56)
	Cleveland (66–16)	Chicago (41–41)	Detroit (39–43)	Indiana (36–46)	Milwaukee (34–48)
	Cleveland (61–21)	Milwaukee (46–36)	Chicago (41–41)	Indiana (32–50)	Detroit (27–55)
	Chicago (62–20)	Indiana (37–45)	Milwaukee (35–47)	Detroit (30–52)	Cleveland (19–63)
	Chicago (50–16)	Indiana (42–24)	Milwaukee (31–35)	Detroit (25–41)	Cleveland (21–45)
	Indiana (49–32)	Chicago (45–37)	Milwaukee (38–44)	Detroit (29–53)	Cleveland (24–58)
	Indiana (56–26)	Chicago (48–34)	Cleveland (33–49)	Detroit (29–53)	Milwaukee (15–67)
	Cleveland⁺ (53–29)	Chicago (50–32)	Milwaukee (41–41)	Indiana (38–44)	Detroit (32–50)
	Cleveland^ (57–25)	Indiana (45–37)	Detroit (44–38)	Chicago (42–40)	Milwaukee (33–49)
	Cleveland⁺ (51–31)	Milwaukee (42–40)	Indiana (42–40)	Chicago (41–41)	Detroit (37–45)
	Cleveland⁺ (50–32)	Indiana (48–34)	Milwaukee (44–38)	Detroit (39–43)	Chicago (27–55)
	Milwaukee (60–22)	Indiana (48–34)	Detroit (41–41)	Chicago (22–60)	Cleveland (19–63)
	Milwaukee (56–17)	Indiana (45–28)	Chicago† (22–43)	Detroit† (20–46)	Cleveland† (19–46)
	Milwaukee^ (46–26)	Indiana× (34–38)	Chicago (31–41)	Cleveland (22–50)	Detroit (20–52)
	Milwaukee (51–31)	Chicago (46–36)	Cleveland× (44–38)	Indiana (25–57)	Detroit (23–59)
	Milwaukee (58–24)	Cleveland (51–31)	Chicago× (40–42)	Indiana (35–47)	Detroit (17–65)
	Milwaukee (49–33)	Cleveland (48–34)	Indiana (47–35)	Chicago× (39–43)	Detroit (14–68)

Rivalries

See main article: article.

Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons

See main article: article and Bulls–Pistons rivalry.

Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

See main article: article and Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry.

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 six 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.

bgcolor=#FFCC00 align=center width=10px	^	Denotes team that won the NBA championships
bgcolor=#CCFFCC align=center width=10px		Denotes team that qualified for the NBA Playoffs

Season	Team (record)
Season	width=150px	1st	width=150px	2nd	width=150px	3rd	width=150px	4th	width=150px	5th
1949: The Central Division was formed with five inaugural members. The Chicago Stags, the Fort Wayne Pistons, the Minneapolis Lakers, the Rochester Royals and the St. Louis Bombers joined from the Western Division.
	Minneapolis^ (51–17)	Rochester (51–17)	Fort Wayne (40–28)	Chicago (40–28)	St. Louis (26–42)
1950: The Central Division ceased to exist. The Chicago Stags and the St. Louis Bombers folded. The Fort Wayne Pistons, the Minneapolis Lakers and the Rochester Royals re-joined the Western Division.

Notes

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.^[4]
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.^[5]
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, 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.^[6]

References

General

Web site: NBA & ABA League Index. Basketball-Reference.com.

Specific

External links

NBA.com Team Index

Notes and References

Web site: 1970–71 Season Overview: Kareem Rules the League. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20101119020355/http://www.nba.com/history/season/19701971.html. November 19, 2010. dead.
Web site: NBA unveils new trophies for division winners named after 6 NBA legends. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 11, 2022. January 28, 2023.
Web site: Conway . Tyler . April 11, 2022 . NBA Unveils Division Winner Trophies Named After Black Pioneers from League History . January 28, 2023 . Bleacher Report.
Web site: Let the semi-season begin: Expect injuries, intensity and a new champion in '99. John. Donovan. February 4, 1999. CNN Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. May 20, 2012. June 22, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110622084237/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/nba_preview/news/1999/02/03/nba_expectations/. dead.
Web site: 'tis The Season. Lee. Jenkins. December 5, 2011. CNN Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. April 30, 2012.
Web site: NBA cancels game between Celtics and Pacers after Boston Marathon blasts | the Point Forward - SI.com . April 17, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130419013916/http://nba.si.com/2013/04/15/boston-marathon-bombing-terror-attack-celtics-pacers-game-cancelled-nba/ . April 19, 2013 .