NBA Standings: Cavaliers lead the way in defending 3-point line

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a strong position in the NBA standings. Their 44-27 record is fourth in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the entire NBA. Going by net rating, which factors margin of victory and is a better indicator of true team quality, the Cavs lead the league. They are one of the top teams in the league.

That’s built in large part on the back of their defense. Purely by points, the Cavs are allowing just 106.6 points per game, by far the lowest in the league. The more accurate defensive rating, which looks at defense per possession, have the Cavs just a hair behind the Memphis Grizzlies for tops in the league, in a tier with the Milwaukee Bucks well above the rest of the NBA.

The Cleveland Cavaliers build their elite defense in a particular way.

There are many factors that go into a successful defense, from rim protection to turnovers to rebounding to perimeter defense. As the league has increased its volume from long-range, 3-point defense has become even more of a key component of a good defense.

At the same time, it’s historically very difficult to affect an opponent’s 3-point percentage. How teams shoot against you is largely random. Some teams have different ways of trying to do so, and in the playoffs it’s more feasible for a team to scheme to specifically leave certain players open, but in general even elite defenses have little control over whether 3-point shots go in.

What teams can control is the number of 3-point attempts against them, and how open they are. Some teams strategically give up 3-point looks in order to wall off the paint; the Milwaukee Bucks of two and three years ago did this to the extreme, as did the Toronto Raptors last season. Others are just terrible in rotation and leave shooters open while not doing a particularly good job of defending the paint; that’s this year’s Houston Rockets.

How do the Cavaliers stack up to the rest of the league? Let’s take a look.