2003-04 NBA Season Standings
The Detroit Pistons won the championship in a shocking upset, sweeping the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the Finals behind Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. This was the final season of the old two-division-per-conference format before the 2004-05 realignment into six divisions. Indiana (61-21) and Minnesota (58-24) won their respective conferences outright, while the division-winner-guarantee rule again governed seeds 1-2: New Jersey (47-35, Atlantic champion) was seeded 2nd ahead of Detroit (54-28), which had a far better record but was not a division winner behind Indiana in the Central.
Sourcing caveat: Still only 29 teams and the old Atlantic/Central/Midwest/Pacific two-division-per-conference format (East 15 teams, West 14); San Antonio (57-25, non-division-winner runner-up to Minnesota in the Midwest) was seeded 3rd ahead of division winner Los Angeles Lakers (56-26) only because seeds 1-2 (not seeds 1-3) were reserved for division champions under this era's two-division format.
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IPIndiana Pacers | 61 | 21 | .744 | - |
| 2 | NJNNew Jersey Nets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 14 |
| 3 | DPDetroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 7 |
| 4 | MHMiami Heat | 42 | 40 | .512 | 19 |
| 5 | NOHNew Orleans Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 6 | MBMilwaukee Bucks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 20 |
| 7 | NYKNew York Knicks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 22 |
| 8 | BCBoston Celtics | 36 | 46 | .439 | 25 |
| 9 | CCCleveland Cavaliers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 26 |
| 10 | P7Philadelphia 76ers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 |
| 11 | TRToronto Raptors | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28 |
| 12 | AHAtlanta Hawks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 33 |
| 13 | WWWashington Wizards | 25 | 57 | .305 | 36 |
| 14 | CBChicago Bulls | 23 | 59 | .280 | 38 |
| 15 | OMOrlando Magic | 21 | 61 | .256 | 40 |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MTMinnesota Timberwolves | 58 | 24 | .707 | - |
| 2 | LALLos Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2 |
| 3 | SASSan Antonio Spurs | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1 |
| 4 | SKSacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3 |
| 5 | DMDallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 6 |
| 6 | MGMemphis Grizzlies | 50 | 32 | .610 | 8 |
| 7 | HRHouston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 8 | DNDenver Nuggets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 |
| 9 | UJUtah Jazz | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16 |
| 10 | PTBPortland Trail Blazers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 17 |
| 11 | GSWGolden State Warriors | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 12 | SSSeattle SuperSonics | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 13 | PSPhoenix Suns | 29 | 53 | .354 | 29 |
| 14 | LACLos Angeles Clippers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 30 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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