Throughout the grueling NBA season, national media and analysts give their opinions on who legitimate contenders are for the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. Generally, these opinions are backed by statistics such as defensive and offensive ratings, field goal percentage, winning percentage in clutch games, among a myriad of other things.
With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the league’s best defense with a defensive rating of 108.5, besting the second-ranked Orlando Magic by 3.0 points— wider than the margin between No. 2 Orlando and the 13th-ranked Phoenix Suns per Cleaning The Glass.