By the Numbers: Cavs are Favorite to Win Finals

It seems inevitable that the NBA Playoffs will never be the Cleveland Cavaliers to lose, but only theirs to win as an underdog.

No matter how big of a margin their victories are. How few games they lose. Or even how many records they break, they will never be considered the favorites to win the NBA Finals.

Not everyone chooses their team to beat by statistics. Actually, very few people who argue sports for a living have never even brought up any statistic proving the Cavs aren’t the team to beat except for their regular season record. If they did look into the numbers a little bit, they’d find that their argument for other teams is invalid.

An obvious stat, the Cavs are the only team in the 2016 NBA Playoffs to not lose a game thus far. Currently, 6-0 this postseason without a trace of slowing down. The Cavaliers’ dominance goes way behind their undefeated playoff record.

Of all playoff teams, the Cavaliers lead the NBA in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. Yes, I repeat, the Cavaliers lead the NBA playoff teams in 3-pointers made and 3-pointers percentage. Not the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs.

Their 16.2 3PM per game leads the NBA by five threes per game ahead of the Warriors. On top of their made 3-pointers, they lead the NBA playoffs in 3-point percentage with 45.3%. Added to their overall phenomenal 3-point shooting, is their new record of most threes in an NBA game, 25.

This 3-point showcase isn’t a fluke either. The Cavs finished second in the NBA in 3-point field goals made during the regular season, only behind the Warriors.

On the other spectrum of their offensive play, the Cavaliers are currently leading the NBA in with the least turnovers per game. With a league low 8.7 turnovers per game, the Cavaliers are the most efficient team in the NBA Playoffs. Combine this with their astonishing 3-point scoring, and you have a dangerous Cleveland team.

With this productivity, comes true proficiency of an entire team. The Cleveland Cavaliers are ranked #1 in efficiency over the last six weeks. With all this, during the playoffs, the Cavaliers have the highest offensive ranking with 118.1. This rating comes from the number of points a team scores per 100 possessions. Currently, the Cavaliers are six points ahead of the second place Oklahoma City Thunder, and seven points ahead of the Golden State Warriors.

For individual players, the Cavaliers fill the top five players for offensive ratings. Channing Frye, Matthew Dellavedova, LeBron James, J.R. Smith, and Richard Jefferson all currently sit in the top five, with the lowest rating being 119.2 by Jefferson.

Then, you look into the Cavs NET Rating (a team’s offensive rating to defensive rating) and you realize how well they play all around. The Cavaliers currently rank third in NET Rating in the playoffs with 12.2., behind the Spurs and Warriors. When it comes to all other major team statistics, the Cavaliers also finish in the top three in seven categories.

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So look at the numbers. The Cavaliers are never in the conversation for the BEST in the NBA Playoffs. Conversation after conversation, they are the favorite in the Eastern Conference, but never the favorite in the NBA. If you look at their offensive numbers, they are strides above any other team. Then you realize that they still sit third in overall team rating.

There isn’t a team in the playoffs with as impressive numbers as the Cavaliers. Not the Warriors, the Spurs, or the Heat. No team compares to the Cavaliers stats.

Look at the numbers. The Cavs are the favorite to win the NBA Finals.

Do you agree?