American sports are often divided into geographical divisions; north, south, east, and west; and sometimes it has nothing to do with location on a map. The Chicago Stags were originally part of the NBA’s Western Division, when in fact the city is located in the Eastern half of the United States.
Memphis and New Orleans are two cities in the Eastern United States, both located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, but both play in the NBA’s Western Conference. Minneapolis is 294 miles west of Milwaukee, but the Timberwolves are not in the same conference as the Bucks but rather in Portland, more than 1,400 miles west.
When the league was first formed, the Baltimore Bullets (now defunct) played in the West Division, as did the Rochester Royals.
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These are important pieces of information when considering who has won more championships in NBA history, the East or the West.
The East currently leads the West 41-36. A prime example is the Milwaukee Bucks, who won their first NBA Finals as champions of the West, before being moved to the East.
The East is currently ahead, but the West has been the dominant force of late. Since 1999, the West has won 16 titles while the East has won nine, including the Boston Celtics’ most recent in 2024.
SEE MORE: Which team has won the most championships in NBA history?
