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Having a great defense is a key ingredient for any great NBA team. However good a team's offense is, it needs to be backed up by a good defense system to succeed. Defense, as they say, wins championships. In this article, we will rank the five best defenses in the NBA.
Though there were some roster changes in the 2020 NBA Free Agency, this list will be based on last year's defensive ratings of the 30 NBA teams. Defensive rating is the number of points allowed by a team per 100 possessions.
The total number of points allowed or the points allowed per game do not show how good or bad defense can be. As every team plays with a certain pace, setting the bar to 100 possessions is a good way to measure a team's defensive or offensive system.
#5 LA Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers were favorites to win the 2020 NBA title, or at least face the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
However, the team melted down in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. After barely beating the Dallas Mavericks in a six-game first-round series, the Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets.
The Clippers had Denver down 3-1 but lost three straight games after, ending their season.
Their regular-season defensive rating (107.6) ranked fifth in the league. Of course, the team had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in their squad.
Leonard and George are universally recognized as two of the best defenders in the NBA. Their coach, Doc Rivers, has had some great defensive teams in the past, especially the 'Big 3' Boston Celtics.
In the NBA Playoffs, though, the Clippers' defense imploded. They allowed 111.1 points per 100 possessions in the postseason, which proved far too many.
#4 Boston Celtics
The 2019-20 Boston Celtics ranked fourth in the NBA in regular-season defensive rating. The team allowed 107 points to their rivals per 100 possessions.
The Celtics' opponents only made 44% of their shots in the NBA. Boston also ranked fourth in terms of the field goal percentage allowed to their rivals. They were also third-best at defending the three-point line. The Celtics held their rivals to a 34% rate from the three-point line.
In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, they fell to the Miami Heat in six games.
In the postseason, the Celtics had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (106.3).
#3 LA Lakers
The 2019-20 NBA champions, the LA Lakers, had a great regular season. The team had the best record (52-19) in a stacked Western Conference.
Though they had LeBron James and Anthony Davis, their offense was 11th in the league. However, they were solid on defense. The LA Lakers allowed their opponents 106.3 points per 100 possessions, which ranked third in the NBA.
The Lakers were Top 10 in opponent field goal percentage, opponent 3P percentage, and two-point percentage. Their defense was versatile, as they were able to transition from great perimeter defense to stunning rim protection with Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard (who will play for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020-21 season).
The Lakers were also great in terms of forcing turnovers and blocking shots. They ranked first in blocks per 100 possessions (6.5), and third in steals per 100 possessions (8.5).
LA forced 15.7 turnovers per 100 possessions, the third-highest in the NBA.
#2 Toronto Raptors
The 2019 NBA champions maintained their defensive identity in the 2019-20 NBA season. The Toronto Raptors allowed 105 points per 100 possessions to their rivals.
Toronto's offense ranked 14th in the regular season, but their elite defense allowed them to rank fourth in Net Rating with 6.1.
Toronto's rivals only made 42% of their field goals in the regular season. They ranked second on field goal percentage allowed in the NBA's regular season.
In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Nick Nurse's team had the best defensive rating in the league. Their rivals scored just 104.2 points per 100 possessions in the postseason.
#1 Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks were the best team in the entire league during the regular season.
They had the league's best record in the regular season (56-17) and, accordingly, their advanced stats were great.
The team ranked first in defensive rating (102.9). Their net rating (9.5) was the best in the NBA by a huge margin (3.2 over the second place).
Milwaukee's defense was strong at the perimeter, and their length allowed them to protect the rim efficiently. Moreover, three players of the Bucks were first, second, and third in defensive rating. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the NBA in Defensive Rating (97.1).
Giannis went on to win NBA MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year award. Brook Lopez (100.2) and Donte DiVincenzo (101.3) were second and third in defensive rating in the entire NBA.
Though their defensive rating was still good in the postseason, the Bucks had a net rating of just 1.2, and their season ended in the second round.
Also read: LA Lakers Schedule: 5 Key match-ups from the first half of 2020-21 NBA season
