NEW YORK: For all the problems the Cavaliers have created and tried solving over the second half of the season, here is where they stand with nine games left: They hold a two-game lead for first place in the conference, LeBron James has shifted into playoff mode and Tyronn Lue is making last-minute tweaks to the defense.
James has put together terrific performances the past few days, the latest being his triple-double in Saturday’s win at the New York Knicks. Lue, meanwhile, has quietly resumed control of the defense and is trying to get this team back to the principles that made them so successful defensively last season and earlier this year.