Midwest Division (NBA)
Season Team Record Playoffs result
1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks 66-16 ( .805 ) Won NBA Finals
1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks 63-19 ( .768 ) Lost Conference Finals
1972-73 Milwaukee Bucks 60-22 ( .732 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1973-74 Milwaukee Bucks 59-23 ( .720 ) Lost NBA Finals
1974-75 Chicago Bulls 47-35 ( .573 ) Lost Conference Finals
1975-76 Milwaukee Bucks 38-44 ( .463 ) Lost First Round
1976-77 Denver Nuggets 50-32 ( .610 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1977-78 Denver Nuggets 48-34 ( .585 ) Lost Conference Finals
1978-79 Kansas City Kings 48-34 ( .585 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1979-80 Milwaukee Bucks 49-33 ( .598 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1980-81 San Antonio Spurs 52-30 ( .634 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1981-82 San Antonio Spurs 48-34 ( .585 ) Lost Conference Finals
1982-83 San Antonio Spurs 53-29 ( .646 ) Lost Conference Finals
1983-84 Utah Jazz 45-37 ( .549 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1984-85 Denver Nuggets 52-30 ( .634 ) Lost Conference Finals
1985-86 Houston Rockets 51-31 ( .622 ) Lost NBA Finals
1986-87 Dallas Mavericks 55-27 ( .671 ) Lost First Round
1987-88 Denver Nuggets 54-28 ( .659 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
1988-89 Utah Jazz 51-31 ( .622 ) Lost First Round
1989-90 San Antonio Spurs 56-26 ( .683 ) Lost Conference Semifinals
Division champions
^ Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season
The Midwest Division was a division in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 each in each conference. The Midwest Division began with four inaugural members, the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls and the Suns joined from the Western Division, while the Pistons and the Bucks joined from the Eastern Division. The division was disbanded when the league expanded from 29 to 30 teams with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats at the start of the 2004-05 season. The league realigned itself into two conferences with three divisions each. The Midwest Division was replaced with two new divisions, the Southwest Division and the Northwest Division. The 2003-04 season, the division's last-ever season, consisted of seven teams, the Dallas Mavericks, the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz. The Mavericks, the Rockets, the Grizzlies and the Spurs joined the Southwest Division, while the Nuggets, the Timberwolves and the Jazz joined the Northwest Division. The Denver Nuggets played 28 seasons in the Midwest Division, longer than any other team. Three teams, the Heat, the Magic and the Charlotte Hornets, only played one season each in the division.