Cleveland Cavaliers: How the Cavs have emerged as a legit Finals contender
By Tyler Hurst
Defense
Cleveland had a solid defense in the top half of the league last year but they have been exceptional this season.
The Cavaliers have the second-best defensive rating in the league of102.9, behind only the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks (before Monday night’s slate). They are averaging nearly six steals and five blocks a game while rarely giving up any type of second-chance points and securing 75 percent of their defensive rebounds.
With LeVert and Garland on the outside and Allen and Mobley on the inside, opposing teams just don’t know where to go with the ball. The Cavaliers’ harassing defensive style makes any team dread playing them.
As mentioned earlier, Mitchell has occasionally been seen as a liability on defense at times in his career, but he is already showing flashes of what he’s capable of in Cleveland, and being surrounded by these defenders will only make him better.