Championship does not mean first place For example in 2001 the St Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros tied for 1st place in the NL Central Division MLB did not recognize co champions allowing only Houston to raise a banner indicating that they won the Division Championship and print the same in their media guide By contrast in college athletics in the United States it is routine to recognize as co champions any teams that finish tied for 1st without applying tiebreakers This is because the recognition of a champion is in the hands of the organizing body Here is a great example of the phenomenon I m talking about The story says that the Detroit Pistons clinched the Central Division and the No 1 seed in the Eastern Conference Consistent usage here And here And a variety of other sources In short I know that my usage is right they have clinched their Conference s No 1 seed I ve yet to see that the further innovation you suggest that they are properly a Champion is in fact officially sanctioned