Why the Cavaliers might actually be the NBA’s best team

The Cavaliers have the league’s best defense

The bedrock of being an elite team is being elite at one end of the floor. The Cavaliers have that box checked, as they have the best defense in the entire NBA. The combination of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA, and Isaac Okoro is among the best point-of-attack defenders out there.

The Cavs absolutely smother opponents. They have held their opponents to under a point per possession 13 times this season; the second-place Philadelphia 76ers have done so 10 times. To switch to volume, the Cavs have held their opponent under 100 points a whopping 19 times; the Miami Heat are next at just 12.

Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland aren’t complete turnstiles on defense, but they are certainly the weak spot of the defense. The Cavs lean into this, inviting opponents to drive into the paint. They give up the sixth-highest percentage of shots at the rim, but hold opponents to the second-lowest percentage at the rim at just 66.1 percent. They don’t mind if opponents knife into the paint, because Mobley and Allen are such potent forces inside.

The Cavs essentially do everything well defensively. They rank in the Top-10 in all four of the Defensive Four Factors: Opponent shooting (effective field goal percentage), turnover percentage, defensive rebounding and fouling; the Cavaliers don’t have a weak spot. That makes them the most formidable defensive team in the NBA.