Cavaliers: Players feel special bond, say that's helping them thrive despite all the adversity

CLEVELAND — NBA players are no different than anyone else, other than they are 6-foot-7 and can jump out of the gym. On Sundays, they love watching professional football, but sometimes they pick up on certain trends that perhaps the casual fan might not see because they are professional athletes. "Did you watch the NFL this weekend?" Cavs forward Georges Niang asked the assembled media after Cleveland's 135-95 laugher over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "(Some of) those teams are really good and they are getting blown out. That's usually camaraderie. When you have guys that genuinely care about each other and have each other's back, good things tend to happen. "There are moments when you don't let go of the rope and don't give in to fatigue or mental exhaustion because you need to do it for the guy next to you." Niang, coming off a career-high 33-point effort against the Bucks, said there's a major reason the Cavs (24-15) have won 11 of their last 14 games, including six in a row. "The best part about it is guys generally care and like each other," he said. "In professional sports, that's not always the case. Sometimes you just show up for work and do your job. We actually do all get along. It's refreshing." Teammate Donovan Mitchell wholeheartedly agreed with Niang. "It's fun," he said. "You come in and you can tell the bond. It's not always like that throughout the league. That carries out onto the floor. I remember that one game when Georges hit that three and (Darius Garland) jumped on his back. "That stuff is important. It's a long season. There's going to be ups and downs, trials and tribulations. What's always consistent is the goofiness and the fun, and also know that when it's time for the game, it's time for the game. It allows us to hold each other accountable." When the Cavs announced on Dec. 15 that Garland had fractured his jaw and that Evan Mobley needed arthroscopic knee surgery, many wrote them off. Instead, Cleveland has gone on an incredible tear. "This is what this team is capable of," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We miss Darius and Evan immensely. They are going to be a huge part of what we do moving forward. This team has historically banded together when their backs are against the wall. To a man, you see guys continue to step up. "This is a together team. Nothing we do is based on the individual and no one is thinking about themselves." The coaches continue to preach to the players that one thing they can control is being the best team on the floor on any given night. "It doesn't mean the most talented or the most gifted," Bickerstaff said. "We have a focus to be the best team on the floor every night." When two of their best players were injured, the coach said the Cavs had a decision to make. "Either you quit or you fight," Bickerstaff said. "I never expected these guys to quit. The fight came and the results have been what they are." During the winning streak, the Cavs have locked down on the defensive end and held their opponents to under 100 points a game. Sometimes they do it with little or no fanfare. Forward Dean Wade has been outstanding on the defensive end the last two games and has stopped two star players — Chicago's DeMar DeRozan and Milwaukee's Khris Middleton — in their tracks. They combined for eight points on 4-of-18 shooting. "We have a commitment to who we are," Bickerstaff said. "They do an unbelievable job of buying in to each other. Our defense is what makes us good. The sharing of the ball. The guys believe in what we're doing." The Cavs embark on a rough four-game road trip on Saturday in Atlanta. It continues to Orlando on Monday and then back-to-back games in Milwaukee. A 2-2 road trip might be considered successful. They don't return home until Jan. 29 against the Los Angeles Clippers. "When you have the locker room we have, I don't think the confidence ever wavered," Mitchell said. "If we're sitting here wavering with confidence, we have no chance. For us, it's about continuing to stay the course. "When we were going through the ups and downs, it was still easy to come to work. It's a long season. If you have a locker room that's divided, it's even longer." Mitchell said he's watching teammates step up, including ones from the end of the roster such as Sam Merrill, Niang, Craig Porter Jr. and Tristan Thompson. When they are getting minutes, they generally produce. "We've hit our stride in what works, which guys play well together and which units do what," Niang said. "We're hitting our rhythm." NANCE SIGNED The Cavs signed forward Pete Nance to a 10-day contract on Thursday. The 6-foot-11, 230-pounder appeared in 22 games (17 starts) this season for the G League Cleveland Charge and averaged 13.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.36 blocks in 30.7 minutes. He posted the first Charge triple-double in almost two years on Jan. 10 when he amassed 27 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists at Indiana. The Revere High product went undrafted after one season at the University of North Carolina (2022-23) and four seasons at Northwestern University (2018-22). The son of Cavs legend Larry Nance averaged 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 137 games (104 starts) during his collegiate career. Last season at UNC, the Akron-born native started all 30 games and averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 blocks. He led the Tar Heels in blocks (34), finishing second in free-throw percentage (.816) and ranked third in 3-pointers made (32). Nance is the third member of his family to play for the Cavs, as his older brother, Larry Nance Jr., played in Cleveland for four seasons from 2017-18 to 2020-21 before being traded to Portland. He's now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. Pete Nance, 23, was a member of the Cavs' 2023 Las Vegas Summer League championship team. He will wear No. 8. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.