The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder have been the best teams in the NBA this season, and each is looking stronger than ever heading into the final 20 games of the 2024-25 regular season.
On Wednesday, the Cavs became the first team to clinch a playoff spot after a win against Miami. The Celtics set a team record with two 40-point performances from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White. The Thunder saw another monster performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander while comfortably beating Memphis.
While each team’s performance in the regular season isn’t guaranteed they’ll share the same playoff success, they all look poised to carry this momentum into a deep run.
The Cavaliers beat the Heat 112-107 to become the first team to clinch a spot in the playoffs this year. They’ve been first in the Eastern Conference standings all year and are on track to finish with one of the best, if not the best, regular season records in franchise history. They are also currently on a 12-game winning streak, beating teams by an average of 15.9 points per game during this stretch.
While there were concerns for Cleveland if they could keep up their early season success, they have turned into the best offensive team in the NBA and now have the second-highest net rating this year. They are also second in team field goal percentage and first in three-point percentage while making the third most shots per game.
Cleveland was also the only team in the NBA to have three All-Stars this season. Donovan Mitchell has been their go-to guy, averaging 24.4 points a game on a career-best 39.2% three-point shooting. Darius Garland has also had a great year, with career highs in shooting percentages, and is 11th in the NBA in assists per game. Evan Mobley has also had a break-out year, averaging a career-high 18.6 points a game on a career-low 30.1 minutes a night. Though it might not be a trio of superstars like the early 2010s Miami Heat or late 2010s Golden State Warriors, Cleveland’s three All-Stars have been highly efficient and are contributing to a team on pace to have one of the best records in NBA history.
Along with their top performers, a considerable amount of credit should go to the supporting cast for the Cavs. Jarrett Allen is averaging a double-double with the second-best shooting percentage in the NBA. Ty Jerome has been one of the best bench players this year, with nearly 50, 40, and 90 shooting splits. The team also traded for De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline, who has been a big factor in Cleveland’s increased defensive rating while also scoring 15 a night on 50% shooting.
The bottom line is that Cleveland has been highly efficient all year and has continued on a historic pace even after the All-Star break. With their win percentage, they are on pace to finish with a top-five record in NBA history.
On Wednesday night, two Celtics players each scored at least 40 points in the same game for the first time, and neither of the players was Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. With Pritchard’s 43 points on a record ten three-pointers and White’s 41 points on nine threes, the duo becomes the first in franchise and NBA history to both have their first 40-point games on nine-plus threes in the same night.
Boston beat Portland by ten in the process, while Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis were all out with injuries. Pritchard and White have been exceptional this season; the duo’s combined scoring success on Wednesday proves that, like Cleveland, Boston has talent up and down the roster. Despite both being in more supporting roles, Pritchard and White are averaging career highs in points this season.
Even with the success of their guards, Tatum and Brown have still been the best performers for the Celtics this year. Tatum is averaging 26.8 points, a career-high 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game as he’s slowly turned into a more all-around player this season. Brown is scoring 23.1 a night, along with 6.1 rebounds and a career-best 4.8 assists per game. Holiday and Porzingis have both missed a decent amount of time this year, but both have been very efficient and are big parts of Boston having a top-three defense this season.
Along with holding teams to a bottom three points per game, the Celtics are sixth in offensive rating and third in net rating. They are shooting and making more three-pointers than any team in NBA history while holding opponents to the third-lowest shooting percentage from deep. Boston won the championship last year with a high-caliber defense on one side and top-level scoring on the other, and they are doing the same thing this year. They’ve won 12 of their last 15 games and looks like they’ll eventually clinch the second spot in the East.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 41 points and eight assists in OKC’s Wednesday night victory against Memphis. Even though it was his 23rd 40-point game this year, SGA has proven that his performance against the Grizzlies wasn’t his peak play. With a 51-point night on Monday, he became one of only 12 players in NBA history to have four 50-point performances in a season. He also did it in the shortest time frame ever, as all of his 50-point performances came in a 19-game span since the start of the new year.
Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the NBA in scoring with 32.8 points a night and is currently the front-runner to win this year’s MVP award. He’s been unstoppable scoring-wise while making the most threes of his career and is the catalyst for the best team in the Western Conference.
Along with the MVP favorite, OKC has seen career-best years for its other young talent. Jalen Williams was named a first-time All-Star while averaging 21.4 points a game. Aaron Wiggins has turned into a Sixth Man of the Year candidate with his 11.5 points and 3.7 rebounds a night. Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Cason Wallace are each averaging at least 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in the 50+ games they’ve appeared in this year.
Chet Holgrem and Isaiah Hartenstein have both missed decent stretches of the year with injuries, but that hasn’t stopped the Thunder from holding the highest net rating in NBA history at +12.7. They are fourth in offensive rating and second in defensive rating, holding opponents to the worst field goal and three-point shooting this season. Oklahoma City holds an 11-game lead for the top spot in the West and has shown no signs that they shouldn’t be the favorite to make the Finals.
Barring any significant injuries, these three teams will be fighting for this year’s NBA championship, and each of their performances on Monday gives a different reason why they’ve had success this year. Cleveland, at 52-10, is the best all-around team with a top-three group of players that are ready to turn their regular season success into postseason winning. Boston, at 44-18, has the championship experience with the best-supporting cast in the league. OKC, at 51-11, has the best scorer in the NBA and is beating teams by a historical margin.
Each of these three teams has the best odds of winning the 2024-25 NBA championship, each with a completely different reason as to why and how they’ll do it.
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