Central Division (NBA)
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| First season | 1970–71 season |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Cleveland Cavaliers (8th title) |
| Most titles | Milwaukee Bucks (13 titles) |
Central Division Teams Location
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.
An earlier five-team Central Division previously existed for the 1949–50 season as one of three divisions in the NBA, along with the Western and Eastern divisions. The current Central 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 thirteen 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, and are the current Eastern Conference champions and played in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Since the 2021–22 season, the Central Division champion has received the Wayne Embry Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Wayne Embry who played for the Bucks in the 1968–69 NBA season.[2]
2024–25 standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c – Cleveland Cavaliers | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 34–7 | 30–11 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Indiana Pacers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 14.0 | 29–12 | 21–20 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x – Milwaukee Bucks | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16.0 | 28–14 | 20–20 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 20.0 | 22–19 | 22–19 | 5–11 | 82 |
| pi – Chicago Bulls | 39 | 43 | .476 | 25.0 | 18–23 | 21–20 | 4–12 | 82 |
Notes
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
- pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot (locked into a play-in spot but not able to clinch a playoff spot directly)
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Teams
| Team | City | Year | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined | |||
| Chicago Bulls | Chicago, Illinois | 1980 | Midwest Division |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Cleveland, Ohio | 1970 | —† |
| Detroit Pistons | Detroit, Michigan | 1978 | Midwest Division |
| Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1979 | Midwest Division |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1980 | Midwest Division |
- Notes
- † denotes an expansion team.
Former teams
- 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 |
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 200-millimetre (7.9 in) crystal ball.[3]
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | 13 | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 2000–01, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| 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 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 8 | 1975–76, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2024–25 |
| Indiana Pacers | 6 | 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2012–13, 2013–14 |
| 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
| ^ | Denotes team that won the NBA Finals |
| + | Denotes team that won the Conference finals, but lost the NBA Finals |
| * | Denotes team that qualified for the NBA Playoffs |
| × | Denotes team that qualified for the NBA play-in tournament |
| † | Denotes team that did not qualify for the 2020 NBA Bubble season restart |
| Season | Team (record) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | |
| ||||||||
| 1970–71 | Baltimore+ (42–40) | Atlanta* (36–46) | Cincinnati (33–49) | Cleveland (15–67) | ||||
| 1971–72 | Baltimore* (38–44) | Atlanta* (36–46) | Cincinnati (30–52) | Cleveland (23–59) | ||||
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| 1972–73 | Baltimore* (52–30) | Atlanta* (46–36) | Houston (33–49) | Cleveland (32–50) | ||||
| ||||||||
| 1973–74 | Capital* (47–35) | Atlanta (35–47) | Houston (32–50) | Cleveland (29–53) | ||||
| ||||||||
| 1974–75 | Washington+ (60–22) | Houston* (41–41) | Cleveland (40–42) | Atlanta (31–51) | New Orleans (23–59) | |||
| 1975–76 | Cleveland* (49–33) | Washington* (48–34) | Houston (40–42) | New Orleans (38–44) | Atlanta (29–53) | |||
| ||||||||
| 1976–77 | Houston* (49–33) | Washington* (48–34) | San Antonio* (44–38) | Cleveland* (43–39) | New Orleans (35–47) | Atlanta (31–51) | ||
| 1977–78 | San Antonio* (52–30) | Washington^ (44–38) | Cleveland* (43–39) | Atlanta* (41–41) | New Orleans (39–43) | Houston (28–54) | ||
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| 1978–79 | San Antonio* (48–34) | Houston* (47–35) | Atlanta* (46–36) | Detroit (30–52) | Cleveland (30–52) | New Orleans (26–56) | ||
| ||||||||
| 1979–80 | Atlanta* (50–32) | Houston* (41–41) | San Antonio* (41–41) | Indiana (37–45) | Cleveland (37–45) | Detroit (16–66) | ||
| ||||||||
| 1980–81 | Milwaukee* (60–22) | Chicago* (45–37) | Indiana* (44–38) | Atlanta (31–51) | Cleveland (28–54) | Detroit (21–61) | ||
| 1981–82 | Milwaukee* (55–27) | Atlanta* (42–40) | Detroit (39–43) | Indiana (35–47) | Chicago (34–48) | Cleveland (15–67) | ||
| 1982–83 | Milwaukee* (51–31) | Atlanta* (43–39) | Detroit (37–45) | Chicago (28–54) | Cleveland (23–59) | Indiana (20–62) | ||
| 1983–84 | Milwaukee* (50–32) | Detroit* (49–33) | Atlanta* (40–42) | Cleveland (28–54) | Chicago (27–55) | Indiana (26–56) | ||
| 1984–85 | Milwaukee* (59–23) | Detroit* (46–36) | Chicago* (38–44) | Cleveland* (36–46) | Atlanta (34–48) | Indiana (22–60) | ||
| 1985–86 | Milwaukee* (57–25) | Atlanta* (50–32) | Detroit* (46–36) | Chicago* (30–52) | Cleveland (29–53) | Indiana (26–56) | ||
| 1986–87 | Atlanta* (57–25) | Detroit* (52–30) | Milwaukee* (50–32) | Indiana* (41–41) | Chicago* (40–42) | Cleveland (31–51) | ||
| 1987–88 | Detroit+ (54–28) | Chicago* (50–32) | Atlanta* (50–32) | Milwaukee* (42–40) | Cleveland* (42–40) | Indiana (38–44) | ||
| 1988–89 | Detroit^ (63–19) | Cleveland* (57–25) | Atlanta* (52–30) | Milwaukee* (49–33) | Chicago* (47–35) | Indiana (28–54) | ||
| ||||||||
| 1989–90 | Detroit^ (59–23) | Chicago* (55–27) | Milwaukee* (44–38) | Indiana* (42–40) | Cleveland* (42–40) | Atlanta (41–41) | Orlando (18–64) | |
| ||||||||
| 1990–91 | Chicago^ (61–21) | Detroit* (50–32) | Milwaukee* (48–34) | Atlanta* (43–39) | Indiana* (41–41) | Cleveland (33–49) | Charlotte (26–56) | |
| 1991–92 | Chicago^ (67–15) | Cleveland* (57–25) | Detroit* (48–34) | Indiana* (40–42) | Atlanta (38–44) | Milwaukee (31–51) | Charlotte (31–51) | |
| 1992–93 | Chicago^ (57–25) | Cleveland* (54–28) | Charlotte* (44–38) | Atlanta* (43–39) | Indiana* (41–41) | Detroit (40–42) | Milwaukee (28–54) | |
| 1993–94 | Atlanta* (57–25) | Chicago* (55–27) | Indiana* (47–35) | Cleveland* (47–35) | Charlotte (41–41) | Milwaukee (20–62) | Detroit (20–62) | |
| 1994–95 | Indiana* (52–30) | Charlotte* (50–32) | Chicago* (47–35) | Cleveland* (43–39) | Atlanta* (42–40) | Milwaukee (34–48) | Detroit (28–54) | |
| ||||||||
| 1995–96 | Chicago^ (72–10) | Indiana* (52–30) | Cleveland* (47–35) | Atlanta* (46–36) | Detroit* (46–36) | Charlotte (41–41) | Milwaukee (25–57) | Toronto (21–61) |
| 1996–97 | Chicago^ (69–13) | Atlanta* (56–26) | Detroit* (54–28) | Charlotte* (54–28) | Cleveland (42–40) | Indiana (39–43) | Milwaukee (33–49) | Toronto (30–52) |
| 1997–98 | Chicago^ (62–20) | Indiana* (58–24) | Charlotte* (51–31) | Atlanta* (50–32) | Cleveland* (47–35) | Detroit (37–45) | Milwaukee (36–46) | Toronto (16–66) |
| 1998–99[a] | Indiana* (33–17) | Atlanta* (31–19) | Detroit* (29–21) | Milwaukee* (28–22) | Charlotte (26–24) | Toronto (23–27) | Cleveland (22–28) | Chicago (13–37) |
| 1999–00 | Indiana+ (56–26) | Charlotte* (49–33) | Toronto* (45–37) | Detroit* (42–40) | Milwaukee* (42–40) | Cleveland (32–50) | Atlanta (28–54) | Chicago (17–65) |
| 2000–01 | Milwaukee* (52–30) | Toronto* (47–35) | Charlotte* (46–36) | Indiana* (41–41) | Detroit (32–50) | Cleveland (30–52) | Atlanta (25–57) | Chicago (15–67) |
| 2001–02 | Detroit* (50–32) | Charlotte* (44–38) | Toronto* (42–40) | Indiana* (42–40) | Milwaukee (41–41) | Atlanta (33–49) | Cleveland (29–53) | Chicago (21–61) |
| ||||||||
| 2002–03 | 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) |
| 2003–04 | 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) |
| ||||||||
| 2004–05 | Detroit+ (54–28) | Chicago* (47–35) | Indiana* (44–38) | Cleveland (42–40) | Milwaukee (30–52) | |||
| 2005–06 | Detroit* (64–18) | Cleveland* (50–32) | Indiana* (41–41) | Chicago* (41–41) | Milwaukee* (40–42) | |||
| 2006–07 | Detroit* (53–29) | Cleveland+ (50–32) | Chicago* (49–33) | Indiana (35–47) | Milwaukee (28–54) | |||
| 2007–08 | Detroit* (59–23) | Cleveland* (45–37) | Indiana (36–46) | Chicago (33–49) | Milwaukee (26–56) | |||
| 2008–09 | Cleveland* (66–16) | Chicago* (41–41) | Detroit* (39–43) | Indiana (36–46) | Milwaukee (34–48) | |||
| 2009–10 | Cleveland* (61–21) | Milwaukee* (46–36) | Chicago* (41–41) | Indiana (32–50) | Detroit (27–55) | |||
| 2010–11 | Chicago* (62–20) | Indiana* (37–45) | Milwaukee (35–47) | Detroit (30–52) | Cleveland (19–63) | |||
| 2011–12[b] | Chicago* (50–16) | Indiana* (42–24) | Milwaukee (31–35) | Detroit (25–41) | Cleveland (21–45) | |||
| 2012–13 | Indiana* (49–32) | Chicago* (45–37) | Milwaukee* (38–44) | Detroit (29–53) | Cleveland (24–58) | |||
| 2013–14 | Indiana* (56–26) | Chicago* (48–34) | Cleveland (33–49) | Detroit (29–53) | Milwaukee (15–67) | |||
| 2014–15 | Cleveland+ (53–29) | Chicago* (50–32) | Milwaukee* (41–41) | Indiana (38–44) | Detroit (32–50) | |||
| 2015–16 | Cleveland^ (57–25) | Indiana* (45–37) | Detroit* (44–38) | Chicago (42–40) | Milwaukee (33–49) | |||
| 2016–17 | Cleveland+ (51–31) | Milwaukee* (42–40) | Indiana* (42–40) | Chicago* (41–41) | Detroit (37–45) | |||
| 2017–18 | Cleveland+ (50–32) | Indiana* (48–34) | Milwaukee* (44–38) | Detroit (39–43) | Chicago (27–55) | |||
| 2018–19 | Milwaukee* (60–22) | Indiana* (48–34) | Detroit* (41–41) | Chicago (22–60) | Cleveland (19–63) | |||
| 2019–20 | Milwaukee* (56–17) | Indiana* (45–28) | Chicago† (22–43) | Detroit† (20–46) | Cleveland† (19–46) | |||
| 2020–21 | Milwaukee^ (46–26) | Indiana× (34–38) | Chicago (31–41) | Cleveland (22–50) | Detroit (20–52) | |||
| 2021–22 | Milwaukee* (51–31) | Chicago* (46–36) | Cleveland× (44–38) | Indiana (25–57) | Detroit (23–59) | |||
| 2022–23 | Milwaukee* (58–24) | Cleveland* (51–31) | Chicago× (40–42) | Indiana (35–47) | Detroit (17–65) | |||
| 2023–24 | Milwaukee* (49–33) | Cleveland* (48–34) | Indiana* (47–35) | Chicago× (39–43) | Detroit (14–68) | |||
| 2024–25 | Cleveland* (64–18) | Indiana+ (50–32) | Milwaukee* (48–34) | Detroit* (44–38) | Chicago× (39–43) | |||
Rivalries
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
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.
| ^ | Denotes team that won the NBA championships |
| * | Denotes team that qualified for the NBA Playoffs |
| Season | Team (record) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||
| ||||||
| 1949–50 | Minneapolis^ (51–17) | Rochester* (51–17) | Fort Wayne* (40–28) | Chicago* (40–28) | St. Louis (26–42) | |
| ||||||
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.[4]
- 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.[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]
See also
References
- General
- "NBA & ABA League Index". Basketball-Reference.com.
- Specific
- ^ "1970–71 Season Overview: Kareem Rules the League". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ "NBA unveils new trophies for division winners named after 6 NBA legends". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 11, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ Conway, Tyler (April 11, 2022). "NBA Unveils Division Winner Trophies Named After Black Pioneers from League History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ Donovan, John (February 4, 1999). "Let the semi-season begin: Expect injuries, intensity and a new champion in '99". CNN Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Lee (December 5, 2011). "'tis The Season". CNN Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
- ^ "NBA cancels game between Celtics and Pacers after Boston Marathon blasts | the Point Forward - SI.com". Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.