The Cavs have a defensive twin towers.
A dynamic offensive backcourt won't be enough to overcome the Celtics, as you must be well-rounded to beat a well-oiled machine. The Cavaliers have a defensive backbone in their frontcourt in twin towers: Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley—a scary duo.
Pairing two bigs who are more of your throwback traditional big men offensively hasn't always been the best in terms of spacing for the Cavaliers. But, defensively they wreak havoc. Mobley and Allen both rank top 20 in defensive rating and equate for 38% of the teams turnovers.
Mobley's versatility to go out on the perimter and seemingly guard anyone one through five. That allows Allen to stay in the paint where he's most comfortable and hold down as the backup anchor.
They make opposing offenses think twice about coming into the paint while altering shots with their length and activity on that side of the ball. Add Isaac Okoro forward, who can slide his feet and guard many of the top wings in the Association. This will be very valuable for the Cavaliers with the Celtics' frontline of Brown, Tatum, and Kristpas Porizingis when they are healthy, arguably the best in the NBA.
They rank seventh in opponent turnovers forced per game (15.9) and eigth and opponent fourth quarter points allowed (26.8).
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson is pushing the envelope.
Behind every great team in any sport is a great coach. This Cavaliers team is no different after letting go of J.B. Bickerstaff last season after last year's second round exit. They decided to hire Kenny Atkinson as the head coach and haven't looked back since.
Great coaches know how to put their players in best positions to succeed and maximize their strengths. One player Atkinson knew he needed to get more out of offensively was Mobley if they wanted to have a legitimate chance to contend for a title.
"I think when you look at the top bigs in the league, a lot of good offensive teams play through their bigs now, especially with the five-out. You guys saw it; everybody saw it in the Boston series where he had the ball in his hands a little bit more."
His attention to detail has unlocked another level for Mobley, who just dropped a career-high against the Charlotte Hornets in points (41) and 3 PM (6) while averaging a career-high 17.9 points per game.. A more assertive Mobley has made the Cavaliers more diverse in their attack, which could spell trouble for the Celtics with his newfound confidence offensively. Atkinson is the reason for the Cavaliers surge into legit contender status.