Cavaliers Had Historically Efficient Offense in First Round Series

The Cavaliers were no match for the Miami Heat in the first round

Apr 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) signals as he talk to a referee in the second quarter during game four for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the favorites to win the NBA Championship, and they've been able to get this far because of an elite mix on both ends of the court. They took that to the next level against the Miami Heat in the first round, obliterating the Heat, who had to win a play-in game just to make it into the final eight in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers won the final game of the series 138-83, taking a 26-point lead into the second quarter. In that game, which represented the series as a whole, it wasn't just one dominant player for Cleveland, as six Cavs ended in double figures, led by guard Donovan Mitchell and his 22 points. For the series, the Cavaliers had an offensive rating of 136.2, which was the best in the league by 18.2 points. The Indiana Pacers, Cleveland's second-round opponent, actually sits second.

The Cavs aren't just leading this bunch of playoff teams though. Per Lev Akabas, they have been historically good and had the best offensive rating through a series in NBA history. To his point, it wasn't even particularly close.

According to NBA dot com data, the Cleveland Cavaliers just had the most efficient offense in a playoff series ever recorded, and it's not even remotely close pic.twitter.com/f0t7G6shCC

— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) April 29, 2025

The best part of this Cavaliers team is that they embody the "Defensive wins championships" phrase as well. They had the second-best defensive rating in the first round, coming in at 102.7. Put those two ratings together, and the Cavs easily ran away with the best net rating, although some of that certainly had to do with their opponent as well.

The Cavs, with their second-round series tipping on Sunday, will get a much greater challenge when the Pacers come to town. Nonetheless, they will be heavy favorites to win the series, and their incredible offense is a major reason why.

The Cavaliers and Pacers series will tip at 6 p.m. ET on TNT Sunday. As of now, the Cavaliers are 7.5-point favorites in the first game.