Before diving into the NBA schedule, find out which squads are at the top of the latest NBA standings with the new season now underway.
Also, get caught up with Sportsnaut’s current NBA team rankings and our NBA playoff predictions for the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Also Read: Who is the oldest NBA player? (All-time and active)
NBA Standings
Who has the best record in NBA?
The new NBA season has just started, but when it comes to the 2022-2023 NBA standings, the Milwaukee Bucks finished with the best record in the league at 58-24. They were followed by the Boston Celtics (57-25), and the Philadelphia 76ers (54-28).
The team with the best record in the Western Conference was the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets who finished two games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies with a record of 53-29. Six of the top 10 teams in the league last season came out of the Eastern Conference.
What does NBA stand for?
NBA stands for National Basketball Association, a professional basketball organization in the United States. The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded on June 6, 1946, and later changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949. This was done in conjunction with merging with the National Basketball League (NBL). Later, in 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) joined the fun.
The 2022-2023 basketball year will bring the 77th season in NBA Standings history. Sportsnaut will provide the latest NBA scores throughout the 2022 season, with NBA standings updated each day.
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How many teams are in the NBA?
There are 30 teams in the NBA standings. The conferences are split by regional location with the Eastern Conference housing 15 NBA franchises and the Western adding another 15 NBA clubs
The Boston Celtics were originally founded in 1946, along with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Atlanta Hawks. But the Detroit Pistons beat them all to the punch, being founded in 1941. The last team to join the Eastern Conference came via expansion, with the Toronto Raptors starting play in 1995.
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The earliest teams in the Western Conference include the Sacramento Kings in 1923, the Golden State Warriors in 1946, and the then-Minneapolis Lakers in 1947. The latest team to be added to both the Western Conference and the NBA, in general, is the New Orleans Pelicans, who are the latest NBA expansion team, being founded in 2002.
The NBA standings are broken down into six separate divisions, three each in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. Each division has five teams.
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How many play-in teams are there in NBA?
During the past few years, the NBA has experimented with a play-in tournament. In 2022, this meant teams ranking 7-10 in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference NBA standings would have to earn their way into the playoffs.
The 7th-seeded team plays the 8th-seeded team, with the winner earning the 7th playoff seed and the 9th-seeded team facing the 10th-seeded team. The winner of this second game plays the loser of the Seven-Eight game. Whoever wins this final contest earns the 8th seed in their respective conference.
All in all, eight teams from each conference make the playoffs, but teams earning the top six seeds are guaranteed a spot. Once the playoffs begin, the seeding is easier to understand.
- No. 1 seed vs No. 8 seed
- No. 2 seed vs No. 7 seed
- No. 3 seed vs No. 6 seed
- No. 4 seed vs No. 5 seed
All games of the NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven series, with each team needing four wins to advance to the next round. It begins with the First Round, then the Conference Semifinals, then the Conference Finals, and finally the NBA Finals to determine the NBA Championship winner.
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When are the NBA Finals?
The 2024 NBA Finals will take place, as the series always does, in June. Game 1 specifically will take place on June 6, and if seven games are needed the series will end on June 23.
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Who won the NBA Finals in 2023?
After being seen as a player who can only get it done in the season, two-time NBA MVP brought the city of Denver their first NBA championship in 2023. The Nuggets dominated en route to the Finals and dispatched the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in just five games this past June.
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Recent NBA Finals winners
- 2023: Denver Nuggets (5 games vs Miami Heat)
- 2022: Golden State Warriors (6 games vs Boston Celtics)
- 2021: Milwaukee Bucks (6 games vs Phoenix Suns)
- 2020: Los Angeles Lakers (6 games vs Miami Heat)
- 2019: Toronto Raptors (6 games vs Golden State Warriors)
- 2018: Golden State Warriors (4 games vs Cleveland Cavaliers)
- 2017: Golden State Warriors (5 games vs Cleveland Cavaliers)
- 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers (7 games vs Golden State Warriors)
- 2015: Golden State Warriors (6 games vs Cleveland Cavaliers)
- 2014: San Antonio Spurs (5 games vs Miami Heat)
- 2013: Miami Heat (7 games vs San Antonio Spurs)