Atlantic Division

In 1949, the National Basketball League dissolved and the National Basketball Association (NBA) formed. In order to fairly divide seventeen basketball teams in the league, the NBA created a third division, Central, to go with the two that already existed, Eastern and Western.

The Atlantic Division is one of three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. In 2003, the NBA approved a new team addition, the Charlotte Bobcats. This forced the NBA to create six divisions, three in the Eastern Conference, three in the Western Conference. Five professional basketball teams compete in each division. The teams that currently play in the Atlantic Division are the Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New York Knick, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Orlando Magic once shared the division until the added divisions moved them to the Southeast Division. Other former Atlantic Division teams include the Buffalo Braves and Charlotte Hornets.

The Toronto Raptors, a Canadian based team established in 1995, is the only non-US based team in the NBA.

Teams in the Atlantic Division compete against each other for the division championship title. The regular season schedule puts teams into eighty-two games. Each team competes against the other teams in their division a total of two home games and two away games per opponent. Once the division winner is announced, the teams then play against the other teams inside their conference for that title. They do this at least three to four times before facing the opponents outside their conference. The goal is to get the most points and wins for their team to make it to the playoffs, where the teams play against each other for the National Basketball Association Championship. The newest rules rely on regular season records.

In the 2006 season drafts, the New Jersey Nets brought in three players, Marcus Williams and Josh Boone from Connecticut, and Hassan Adams from Arizona. Rodney Carney from Memphis and Bobby Jones from Washington joined the Philadelphia 76ers along with trade Edin Bavcic of Bosnia. The Boston Celtics added Rajon Rondo from Kentucky and Leon Powe from Cal. The Toronto Raptors welcomed Andrea Bargnani of Italy and P. J. Tucker from Texas to their team. The New York Knicks also added Renaldo Balkman from South Carolina and Mardy Collins from Temple to their 2006-07 team.

Before the Miami Heat left the division, the basketball team won the division title four years in a row, 1997 through 2000. Orlando Magic won the division title in 1995 and 1996. The Boston Celtics lead the way with sixteen Atlantic division titles. The Philadelphia 76ers follow with eight, with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets both winning four. The Toronto Raptors brought home the division win in 2007.