The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the Cavs) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007.

The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are a professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the Memorial Coliseum, before moving to the Rose Garden Arena in 1995. Based in Portland throughout its existence, the franchise entered the league in 1970, and is the only major league franchise in Oregon until 2011 when the Portland Timbers will join the MLS. The franchise has also enjoyed a strong following; from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American professional sports.

The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short) are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1946, Danny Biasone sent a $5,000 check to the National Basketball League offices in Chicago, and the Syracuse Nationals became the largely Midwest-based league's easternmost team. In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA. In 1955, the Nationals (led by forward Dolph Schayes) won the NBA championship. By the early 1960s, the NBA's Nationals were struggling. Syracuse was the last of the medium-sized cities, but it was too small for a professional team to be profitable. Paper magnate Irv Kosloff bought the Nationals from Danny Biasone and moved them to Philadelphia in 1963. The NBA thus returned to Philadelphia one year after the Warriors had left for San Francisco. A contest was held to decide on their new name and the winner was the late Walt Stahlberg. Their name was changed to the "76ers", after 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. The nickname was quickly shortened to "Sixers" by headline writers, and the two names soon became interchangeable for marketing purposes.

The Orlando Magic are a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The franchise was founded in 1989 as an expansion franchise and has had such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Steve Francis, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Dwight Howard throughout its young history. The franchise has also been in the playoffs for more than half of their existence (11 playoff appearances in 20 years).

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. They play their home games at American Airlines Arena. The team is owned by Micky Arison, coached by Erik Spoelstra and are managed by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley. The Heat were formed in 1988 as an expansion franchise along with the Charlotte Hornets. Since then, Miami has fielded squads that have made the playoffs 13 out of the 21 seasons, captured seven division titles and won the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks 4:2.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The home arena is Oklahoma City's Ford Center. Formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, the Thunder was established in 2008 after a dispute between owner Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle, Washington. As the Seattle SuperSonics, the club qualified for the NBA Playoffs 22 times, won its division six times and won the 1979 NBA Championship against the Washington Bullets.

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association teams (along with the Nets, Pacers, and Nuggets) to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA-NBA merger and is the only former ABA team to have won an NBA championship. The Spurs have won four NBA championships, more than any NBA franchise except the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. The Spurs' perfect record in NBA Finals series is surpassed only by the Chicago Bulls, who have won six without a loss; the Bulls and Spurs are the only two teams to maintain perfect records through multiple Finals series. As of July 2009, the Spurs rank third among active franchises for the highest winning percentage in NBA history; they have only missed the playoffs 4 times as an NBA franchise.

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 in Vancouver, British Columbia as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada, and relocated to Memphis in 2001. The team's majority owner is Michael Heisley, who controls a 95% share of the franchise; the remaining 5% is controlled by several local owners, including AutoZone founder J. R. ("Pitt") Hyde, his wife Barbara Hyde, equity manager Staley Cates, and former NBA player and University of Memphis point guard Elliot Perry.

The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The team was first established in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the franchise won the championship in the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the league that would eventually become the National Basketball Association. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden State Warriors. The team has played all of its home games in the Oracle Arena since 1966, with the exception of a one-year hiatus. Along with their inaugural championship win in the 1946-1947 season, the Warriors have won two others in the team's history, including another in Philadelphia after the 1955-56 season, and one as Golden State after the 1974-75 season, which is tied for 5th in the NBA in number of championships.

The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. The club's home games are played at the Staples Center, which they share with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks, and the Los Angeles Kings. The team has only six winning seasons in its entire history, and only two since moving to Los Angeles.

The Dallas Mavericks (also known as the Mavs) are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas, USA. Founded in 1980, the Mavericks have won two division titles and one conference championship. According to Forbes Magazine, they are the seventh most valuable basketball franchise in the United States, valued at approximately $466 million; the franchise is surpassed in value only by the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Houston Rockets.