American sports are often grouped by geographic region; north, south, east and west; and sometimes it has nothing to do with the location on the 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 compete in the NBA’s Western division. Minneapolis is 294 miles west of Milwaukee, but the Timberwolves are not in the same area as the Bucks but are in the same area as Portland, which is more than 1,400 miles west.
When the league was first established, the now-defunct Baltimore Bullets played in the West division, as did the Rochester Royals.
This is important information when considering who has won more championships in NBA history, East or West.
Currently the East is leading the West 41-36. A good example is the Milwaukee Bucks, who won their first NBA Finals as champions of the West, before being traded to the East.
The East is temporarily leading, but the West has been dominating recently. Since 1999, Western representatives have been crowned 16 times while the East’s number is 9 times, including the most recent time of the Boston Celtics in 2024.
