17-901: The Southwest Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Despite its name, the division is actually located in the South Central United States . The division consists of five teams: the Dallas Mavericks , the Houston Rockets , the Memphis Grizzlies , the New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs . Three of the teams,
34-539: A 200-millimetre (7.9 in) crystal ball. Western Conference (NBA) The Western Conference is one of two conferences that make up the National Basketball Association (NBA), the other being the Eastern Conference . Both conferences consist of 15 teams organized into three divisions . The Western Conference comprises the Northwest , Pacific , and Southwest Divisions. The current divisional alignment
51-859: 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
68-540: 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
85-578: The 2000–01 season , renaming it after Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in the 2021–22 season . Also in 2021–22, the league began awarding the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy to the Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player , named after Hall of Famer Magic Johnson . Notes Seattle supersonics ^Note: Milwaukee joined the Eastern Conference during the 1980–81 season. Central Division (NBA) The Central Division
102-588: The 2014–15 season , the Southwest Division saw every one of its teams making the playoffs, a feat achieved only twice in the last 30 years. The most recent division champions are the Dallas Mavericks. Since the 2021–22 season , the Southwest Division champion has received the Willis Reed Trophy , named after Hall of Famer Willis Reed , who notably never played for or coached for a team currently in
119-854: The Atlanta Hawks , the Baltimore Bullets , the Cincinnati Royals , and the Cavaliers. 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
136-693: 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
153-594: The Wayne Embry Trophy , named after Hall of Famer Wayne Embry who played for the Bucks in the 1968–69 NBA season . 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
170-663: 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,
187-595: The Grizzlies have won two and the Pelicans have won one title. Four NBA champions came from the Southwest Division. The Spurs won the NBA championship in 2005 , 2007 and 2014 , while the Mavericks won in 2011 . In the 2007–08 season , all four teams that qualified for the playoffs each had more than 50 wins. In the 2010–11 season and the 2014–15 season , all teams in the division had winning percentages above 0.500 (50%). In
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#1732841898448204-540: The Mavericks, Rockets, and Spurs, are based in Texas . Consisting of some of the most historically competitive teams in the NBA's Western Conference, the division was created at the start of the 2004–05 season , when the league expanded from 29 to 30 teams with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats . The league realigned itself into three divisions in each conference. The Southwest Division began with five inaugural members,
221-633: The Mavericks, the Rockets, the Grizzlies, the Hornets (now Pelicans) and the Spurs. The Mavericks, the Rockets, the Grizzlies and the Spurs joined from the now-defunct Midwest Division , while the Pelicans joined from the Central Division . The Spurs have been dominant since the division's inaugural season, having won the most Southwest Division titles with nine. The Rockets have won four, the Mavericks have won three,
238-539: The division. Beginning with the 2021–22 season , the Southwest Division champion has received the Willis Reed Trophy . As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the African American pioneers from NBA history. During his playing career from 1964 to 1974, Willis Reed became the first HBCU graduate to win both the NBA MVP Award and the Finals MVP Award . The Reed Trophy consists of
255-520: 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
272-479: Was adopted at the start of the 2004–05 season , when the now Charlotte Hornets began play as the NBA's 30th franchise. This necessitated the move of the New Orleans Pelicans (named New Orleans Hornets at the time) from the Eastern Conference's Central Division to the newly created Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The NBA first started awarding a Western Conference championship trophy during
289-556: Was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. The Embry Trophy consists of a 200-millimetre (7.9 in) crystal ball. 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 ,
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