Atlantic Division (NBA)



The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. All teams, except the Raptors, are located on the East Coast of the United States.

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, theCleveland 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 Atlantic Division began with four inaugural members, the Celtics, the Braves, the Knicks and the 76ers.[1] The Celtics, the Knicks and the 76ers all joined from the Eastern Division.

The Celtics have won the most Atlantic Division titles with 21. The 76ers have won the second most titles with five. Eight NBA champions came from the Atlantic Division. The Celtics won six championships, while the Knicks and the 76ers won one championship each. All of them, except the 1972–73 Knicks, were division champions. In the 1983–84 season, all five teams from the division qualified for the playoffs. In the 1982–83 season, all teams in the division had winning percentages above 0.500 (50%). The most recent division champion is the Boston Celtics. {| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide] *1 Standings
 * 2 Teams
 * 2.1 Former teams
 * 2.2 Team timeline
 * 3 Division champions
 * 3.1 Titles by team
 * 4 Season results
 * 5 Rivalries
 * 5.1 Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
 * 6 Notes
 * 7 References
 * 8 External links
 * }

[edit]Standings
Main article: 2011–12 NBA season

[edit]Teams

 * Notes
 * denotes a team that merged from the American Basketball Association (ABA).

[edit]Former teams

 * Notes
 * denotes an expansion team.

[edit]Rivalries
Main article: National Basketball Association rivalries#Atlantic Division===[edit]Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers=== Main article: Celtics–76ers rivalry==[edit]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.[2]

[edit]References

 * General
 * "NBA & ABA League Index". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
 * Specific
 * 1) ^ "1970–71 Season Overview: Kareem Rules the League". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
 * 2) ^ 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. Retrieved May 31, 2011.