The Eastern Division was a division in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its forerunner, the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The division was created at the start of the 1946–47 BAA season,[1] when the league was created, and was then kept as one of the divisions when BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to create the NBA on August 3, 1949.[2] The division existed until the 1970–71 NBA season when the NBA expanded from 14 to 17 teams and realigned into the Eastern and Western conferences with two divisions each.[3]
Team | City | Year | From | Year | To | Current division |
Joined | Left |
Baltimore Bullets (original) | Baltimore, Maryland | 1948 | Western Division | 1954 | Folded | — |
Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) | Baltimore, Maryland | 1966 | Western Division | 1970 | Central Division | Southeast Division |
Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | 1946 | § | 1970 | Atlantic Division | Atlantic Division |
Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) | Cincinnati, Ohio | 1962 | Western Division | 1970 | Central Division | Pacific Division |
Detroit Pistons | Detroit, Michigan | 1967 | Western Division | 1970 | Midwest Division | Central Division |
Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1968 | —† | 1970 | Midwest Division | Central Division |
New York Knicks | New York City, New York | 1946 | § | 1970 | Atlantic Division | Atlantic Division |
Syracuse Nationals (1949–1963) Philadelphia 76ers (1963–present) | Syracuse, New York Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1949 | —* | 1970 | Atlantic Division | Atlantic Division |
Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors) | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1946 | § | 1962 | Western Division | Pacific Division |
Providence Steamrollers | Providence, Rhode Island | 1946 | § | 1949 | Folded | — |
Toronto Huskies | Toronto, Ontario | 1946 | § | 1947 | Folded | — |
Washington Capitols | Washington, D.C. | 1946 1948 | § | 1947 1951 | Western Division Folded | — |
- Notes
Team timeline[edit]
Division champions[edit]
^ | Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season |
Titles by team[edit]
Team | Titles | Season(s) won |
Boston Celtics | 9 | 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65 |
Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers | 6 | 1949–50, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68 |
Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors) | 3 | 1947–48, 1950–51, 1955–56 |
New York Knicks | 3 | 1952–53, 1953–54, 1969–70 |
Washington Capitols | 2 | 1946–47, 1948–49 |
Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) | 1 | 1968–69 |
Season results[edit]
References[edit]