Eastern Conference (NBA)

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, and organized in three divisions of five teams each.

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The three division winners are seeded 1, 2 and 3 for the playoffs in order of their record, with all non-division winners seeded 4 through 8. This leaves open the possibility that a #4 seed could have a better record than a #3 seed. On the other hand, home-court advantage in a playoff series is decided by record, not by seeding, so if a #3 and #4 team met in a playoff series in which the #4 team had the better record, the #4 team would have home-court advantage.

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The Eastern Conference playoffs is divided into three rounds, with the winner facing the Western Conference champion in the NBA Finals to determine the champion. All playoff series are best-of-seven.

Related Topics:
Western Conference - NBA Finals - Best-of-seven

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The current divisional alignment was adopted at the start of the 2004-05 season, when the Charlotte Bobcats began play as the NBA's 30th franchise. This necessitated the move of the New Orleans Hornets from the Eastern Conference's Central Division to the newly-created Southwest Division of the Western Conference.

Related Topics:
05 - Charlotte Bobcats - New Orleans Hornets - Western Conference

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The Eastern Conference teams are organized as follows:

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Atlantic Division

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Boston Celtics

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New Jersey Nets

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New York Knicks

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Philadelphia 76ers

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Toronto Raptors

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Southeast Division

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Atlanta Hawks

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Charlotte Bobcats

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Miami Heat

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Orlando Magic

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Washington Wizards

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Central Division

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Chicago Bulls

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Cleveland Cavaliers

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Detroit Pistons

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Indiana Pacers

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Milwaukee Bucks

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