Atlantic Division (NBA)
The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Toronto Raptors. All teams, except the Raptors, are located on the East Coast of [the United States]. However, Toronto sports teams have over the years enjoyed rivalries with teams in the Northeastern United States.
The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The league realigned itself into two conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, with two divisions in each conference. The Atlantic Division began with four inaugural members, the Celtics, the Braves, the Knicks and the 76ers. The Celtics, the Knicks and the 76ers all joined from the Eastern Division.
The Celtics have won the most Atlantic Division titles with 26. Ten NBA champions have come from the Atlantic Division. The Celtics have won seven NBA championships while in the Division, while the Knicks, the 76ers and the Raptors have won one championship each. All of them, except the 1972–73 Knicks, were division champions. In the 1983–84 season, all five teams from the division qualified for the playoffs. In the 1982–83 season, all teams in the division had winning percentages above 0.500.
Since the 2021–22 season, the Atlantic Division champion has received the Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Nathaniel Clifton.
2025–26 standings
Notes- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Teams
- denotes a team that merged from the American Basketball Association.
Former teams
- denotes an expansion team.
Team Timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25
Period = from:1970 till:2021
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bar:1 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:Boston Celtics
bar:2 color:tan2 from:1970 till:1978 text:Buffalo Braves
bar:3 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:New York Knicks
bar:4 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:Philadelphia 76ers
bar:5 color:tan1 from:1976 till:end text:New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets
bar:6 color:tan2 from:1978 till:2004 text:Washington Bullets/Wizards
bar:7 color:tan2 from:1988 till:1989 text:Charlotte Hornets
bar:8 color:tan2 from:1989 till:2004 text:Miami Heat
bar:9 color:tan2 from:1991 till:2004 text:Orlando Magic
bar:10 color:tan1 from:2004 till:end text:Toronto Raptors
Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton Trophy
Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Atlantic Division champion has received the Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton Trophy. As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the African American pioneers from NBA history. Nathaniel Clifton was one of the first African American players to sign an NBA contract when he joined the New York Knicks in 1950. The Clifton Trophy consists of a crystal ball.Division champions
Titles by team
| Team | Titles | Season won |
| Boston Celtics | 26 | ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, |
| Toronto Raptors | 7 | ,,,,,, |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 6 | ,,,,, |
| New York Knicks | 5 | ,,,, |
| Brooklyn Nets | 4 | ,,, |
| Miami Heat^ | 4 | ,,, |
| Orlando Magic^ | 2 | , |
| Washington Bullets^ | 1 |
Season results
| † | Denotes team that did not qualify for the 2020 NBA Bubble season restart |