Broadly, the 30 NBA teams are divided into Eastern and Western conference teams. They are further divided into divisions primary to create an organizational structure for scheduling games and determining playoff eligibility. Eastern Conference: Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Central Division: Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards Western Conference: Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans San Antonio Spurs

The NBA season is structured to progress through several distinct phases, each with its own characteristics and objectives. Here's a breakdown: Pre-season: Duration: Typically lasts for around 3-4 weeks before the beginning of the regular season. Purpose: Allows teams to experiment with lineups, gives rookie players and those on the fringe of making the roster a chance to prove themselves, and serves as a general warm-up for the main season. Games: Each team usually plays a handful of games (around 4-6), often against opponents they might not face frequently in the regular season. Some of these games might be held internationally or in cities without an NBA team, as part of the NBA's outreach efforts. Regular Season: Duration: Typically starts in October and ends in April. Purpose: This is the main phase of the NBA year. Teams compete to secure a playoff spot and jockey for favorable seeding. Games: Each team plays 82 games - 41 at home and 41 on the road. They face teams both from their conference and the opposing conference. Playoffs: Duration: Start in mid-April and can run into June. Purpose: The top 8 teams from each conference, based on regular-season records, qualify for the playoffs to compete for the NBA championship. In recent years, a play-in tournament was introduced where the 7th to 10th seeds compete for the 7th and 8th playoff spots. Structure: The playoffs are organized as a series of elimination rounds, with each round consisting of a best-of-seven series. Teams need to win four out of seven games to advance to the next round. Rounds: The rounds progress as follows - First Round, Conference Semifinals, Conference Finals. NBA Finals: Timing: Typically starts in early June. Purpose: The champions of the Western and Eastern Conferences face off in a climactic best-of-seven series to determine the league's champion. Outcome: The team that wins four out of the seven games in this series is crowned the NBA champion and is awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.