Cavaliers coach David Blatt knows a walk through the West is never a walk in the park. That's true even if your team includes talents such as LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
"We are a veteran team in terms of experience, but we are not a veteran team in terms of being together," Blatt said. "Those are very demanding, challenging and difficult trips. We'll have to see how we well we respond to that."
The Cavs begin a three-game Western Conference swing Tuesday with a visit to Portland (9:30 p.m., FOX Sports Ohio). After the Trail Blazers, the Cavs head to Utah on Wednesday and Denver on Friday. They don't return home until Monday vs. New Orleans.
But so far, the road has been kind to the Cavs (1-1). They played there once, at Chicago, and came away with a win in overtime.
That was much better than the season-opener at home -- when the Cavs couldn't hang onto the ball and lost to what was supposed to be an undermanned New York team.
"Some of it had to do with me," James admitted. "I had eight (turnovers against the Knicks) and only three in the second game. I believe I started the whole turnover trend in the first game. I took care of the ball (against the Bulls). The more possessions we get gives us a better chance to score and to set up our defense.
"You have to protect the ball on the road, which gives you the best chance to win."
James was held, or perhaps held himself, to 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting vs. the Knicks. But he scored 36 against the Bulls -- and kept the ball moving with the type of crafty passing NBA fans have come to expect.
Along with James, the Cavs received strong performances from Irving (23 points), Love (16 points, 16 rebounds) and especially, Tristan Thompson (16 points, 13 rebounds) off the bench. It's the type of cohesive effort the Cavs need if they hope to be the team they say they are.
"Every night we have to come out and be ready to play," Thompson said. "We're at the top of the mountain, and every team wants to take us down and prove we're not that good. We have to punch in and be ready to play. We can't take nights off."
Cavs Dribbles
1. The Cavs struggled from the free-throw line for most of last season, but are faring well so far under Blatt. Through two games, they're hitting 87 percent (46-of-53) of their foul shots.
2. James, a Nike client, said he has no plans to visit his friends at Nike Town in Portland on the trip. "They get all their time in the summer," he said. "It's my time now."
3. Blatt on the Cavs playing with a target on their backs: "The guys know we have to play good basketball. We can't walk right in the gym and have any advantage. We have to be ready mentally and physically. We'll leave the vacationing to the summer time."
