PHILADELPHIA -- Prior to leaving on their three-game road trip, the first one of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a short, early practice Thursday morning.

Part of their thinking was centered on getting to Washington D.C. earlier in the afternoon, hoping to avoid the nasty bumper-to-bumper traffic on the bus ride from Dulles Airport to their Georgetown hotel. The other part was about a meaningful team-bonding trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture -- a visit that set the tone for a successful three-game roadie that saw the Cavs go 2-1.

“I always thought that a road trip was great to see the team grow,” head coach John Beilein said. “They’re hanging out a little bit more together. There’s some free time, which they spend together. I think building our team chemistry off the court is important for us as well.”

The time after practice is typically an opportunity to rest, letting players stay off their feet. But nobody seemed to mind. They were in picturesque D.C. with plenty to do -- and see.

Upon their arrival, the Cavs spent about two and a half hours at the museum, which opened in 2016. It’s 350,000 square feet and 10 stories, with five above and five below ground. There wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything. Even Kevin Love, who was making his second visit, hasn’t gotten through the full tour yet.

“That was incredible,” Love said. “Going and absorbing pretty much everything that we could. Being there with my teammates, being there with the young guys, it was not only fun, but important for us to be there bonding.”

“It was fantastic for our guys to see that history,” Beilein said. “As sad as it is, it’s really an eye-opening experience. I know for me and for everybody it was well worth the couple of hours that we spent over there.”

“It was good. Really enjoyed it,” said rookie Darius Garland, who was visiting the nation’s capital for just the second time.

“It was super educational and a really good experience,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “Something I will go back to later for the full tour.”

He’s not the only one. Tristan Thompson and Jordan Clarkson both discussed plans to return on their own someday -- a chance to move through the building at their pace rather than staying on a strict schedule and having to follow the tour guide’s lead.

“I think whenever you can share life-changing and historical moments with your teammates, that’s an automatic bond,” Thompson said. “Because you can talk about those situations, talk about what you think, and it kind of connects you automatically because our team, we have a lot of African American players, so it automatically resonates with everyone. Got to see where their family is from. You know, you got a guy like Collin (Sexton), his family is from the South, and he’ll see what tribe or what part of Africa his people might have come from, it’s life-changing. We’re very fortunate.”

Head coach John Beilein. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

“We want a cohesive team”

As much as the now-complete three-gamer focused on continued development of the many on-court principles Beilein is teaching and, of course, piling up some wins, it was also about capitalizing on unique moments that aren’t possible back home. It was a chance to build friendships, to become a more tight-knit group off the floor, believing the rewards from that will translate once the ball tips.

In all of his previous college stops, Beilein always welcomed going away for a while. Not only did it force his team to play with a different mentality, but they always returned a tighter bunch.

The District provided the first setting for that. Then came New York, as players had ample time to explore the city together in between practice, shootaround and Sunday’s win.

“There’s stuff you learn about people by just going to get a slice of pizza or a Reuben sandwich here in New York with a teammate,” Beilein said. “Just good things that you might not do in Cleveland because you’re not all housed in the same hotel. And there’s extra time that the coaches also have with them where they’re not at their home, they’re in their hotel rooms so you can call them and say, ‘Hey, let’s watch this video.' Just connect better with them.”

Beilein’s session with Garland is one example. The two went over clips of some top guards, including Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon, prior to Friday’s breakout performance against the Wizards. Teammates kept urging him to stay aggressive. Garland responded with career-highs in points and assists. The rookie built on that the next game versus the Knicks.

“We want a cohesive team,” Beilein said. “And whether it’s by your position or just whether it’s your age or whatever, we want everybody to teach each other.”

Connecting with youngsters

The age difference is once again stark. But unlike last year, when there was a feeling of the old guard internally battling the new guard and a lack of acceptance of the realities that come with a rebuild, there isn’t separation.

“It’s a really good group of guys. We like being around each other. That’s rare,” Love said. “We won the championship and we had four different cliques and thrived under crazy chaos the whole time, with 47 different storylines. Here we see the big picture and want to get better. We know there’s going to be sometimes where it’s not so great, but think we have helped ourselves by playing really hard and giving ourselves a chance against really good teams. Think if we can continue to do that we will eventually win those games and that’s going to be good for us.”

One member of the organization who has been around for years called the locker room, from 1-15, the best he has seen, even better than the championship squad.

So what is it that makes this collection, dotted with players all ages, from five countries, the East Coast to the West Coast and down South, so special?

“Good human beings. Good people,” Thompson said. “We might not have the most talented guys, might not have the nine-time All-Stars and Hall-of-Fame players, but we actually have good guys that have heart. (Former GM) Chris Grant told me he always takes heart over talent because when the going gets tough those guys are going to be able to get in a dogfight and that’s what I like.”

Thus far, through 10 games, that’s Cleveland’s identity. They play hard every night. The Cavs are still figuring out how to win, especially tight, down-to-the-wire games. Their grit can make up for a lack of experience, faulty execution at inopportune moments and questionable decision-making, but not every time. They don’t always play clean and get the desired outcome, but they consistently battle and have every reason to believe they are headed down the right path.

Much of that success is tied to Cleveland’s leadership counsel -- Love, Thompson, Nance, Clarkson and Matthew Dellavedova. Brandon Knight can also be included in that group because of his positive attitude, tone-setting work ethic and professionalism. Only it’s tougher to be vocal without consistent playing time.

Love is the sage veteran now -- a nice way of saying he’s the oldest player on the team. He jokes that he’s 11 or 12 years older than Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. -- two fun-loving, video-game-playing teenagers. Love’s about eight years older than Dylan Windler, the other member of the 2019 draft class, and has about a decade on Sexton.

But age is simply a number. One of Love’s main challenges as a leader this season: Find ways to connect with the youngsters.

Love purposely sits next to 19-year-old Garland on the team charter. He sits in front of 20-year-old Sexton on the bus. Love, who felt remorseful about not being there to guide Sexton through a bulk of his at-times-tumultuous rookie season in 2018-19, texted with the second-year guard frequently this summer. Love has even been chatting with Sexton’s father, Darnell, who attends almost every game.

“The biggest thing has been myself and Collin’s relationship,” Love said. “I think Collin has really opened up and you can see he’s having a lot of fun away from the court as well.”

That joy has translated. Sexton has upped his marks in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-point shooting. So how does 31-year-old Love, who is a five-time All-Star and at a different stage of his life and career than some of his youthful teammates, get through to them?

“I have to find something that is a common thread away from the court,” Love said. “I ask them -- and probably would have been reluctant to do it when I was younger -- just ask them where they’re from, what they’re family is like, what they are into, what they do away from basketball. That’s what I do."

In his evolving relationship with Sexton, Love has found a go-to topic: Football.

“We sit and laugh the whole time,” Love said. “I used to watch a lot more football when I’d be in fantasy leagues with my friends, and I went away from that the last couple of years, but Collin and I just call everybody out because we feel we have really picked apart the NFL. We talk about who is s--- and who is not. It’s been really funny.”

Lessons from 2018-19

It was last November when Sexton was the outcast, the struggling eighth-overall pick who represented a shift in organizational philosophy.

He was supposedly the kid who didn’t know how to play, the one who was seeing time simply because of his draft slot. He kept making the same on-court mistakes and teammates felt he was unwilling to adjust. It got to a point where then-coach Larry Drew needed to gather his squad, demanding they show patience.

While Garland was going through similar struggles -- maybe even worse ones -- the whispers were notably absent.

There are a handful of theories as to why. Love suggested injuries to key veterans played a role. Love missed 60 games. Nance was out for a stretch. Thompson had two lengthy absences. Dellavedova didn’t arrive until December. Clarkson hadn’t grown into that role yet.

“It was almost unfair to say, ‘Here’s the ball, go make plays, go help us win games,' Especially at a position where you have to go against the best players in the league every single night," Love said. "I felt like sometimes I would step up and talk in the locker room last year, but it’s hard when you’re not playing because it sometimes falls on deaf ears. It was hard for me to take Collin under my wing because I couldn’t actually be out there helping. But Darius, we have been able to do that a lot more because we’ve all been healthy.”

Another common explanation -- beyond Garland making mistakes by trying to play the proper way, which is always easier to accept -- is that the Cavs learned from the Sexton experience.

“Having Collin was good for us because we never ... it was like five years we always had veteran teams with Bron (LeBron James) and Channing (Frye) and those guys,” Thompson said. “With Collin last year it helped all of us be prepared so when we got more young guys we kind of know how to get on them, but know how to get on them in a loving way. Give them positive criticism but also let them know when they’re f------ around. It’s like having younger brothers.”

It also helps that Thompson had a pre-existing relationship with Garland, meeting him long before he was drafted No. 5 by the Cavs. The two share the same representation and worked out together this summer -- an instant brotherhood. Tied together first by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, Thompson and Garland are now teammates.

Following the win against the Knicks, Thompson snapped a photo alongside Garland and Clarkson, who is also a Klutch client. It’s not a coincidence that the trio has started to grow closer.

“All part of the same mob,” Thompson said before addressing his relationship with Garland specifically. “Just be there for him while he goes through these stages of being an NBA player. He can lean on me to get through that. He knows I’m always going to have his best interest regardless of whatever the circumstances. I’m always going to be there for him. He can trust and likewise. If I’m not having a good game he can pick me up and get me going also.”

But Thompson’s leadership extends to Porter, Sexton, Windler and everyone else on the team. Beilein called Thompson’s guidance “great.” It’s a role he has embraced.

“It’s fun. I think just because I have put so much time in the game and been around LeBron, one of the greatest to ever play, I was a sponge,” Thompson said. “I took his tricks, his approach, use it and pay it forward. That’s what the league is all about. Us players, you take from the vets, pass it on to the young guys and hopefully whatever gems I give them, when they get older, they give it to the next generation. That’s how you keep the game growing and keep basketball developing in a right direction."

Like Love, Thompson is older than many of his teammates. He’s 28 now. He has two kids. He’s in his ninth season. He doesn’t live downtown like Cleveland’s rookies. It makes you wonder: What does he really have in common with them? What do they talk about when they go out?

The veteran, who often wears a “FAMILY” chain around his neck and who his teammates rave about, has learned how to get through to his juniors.

“I’m still in my 20s so I can connect with them. I can still understand their language. I can speak their language,” Thompson said. “That’s why in this game, when sometimes coaches get fired on rebuilding teams early it’s because they can’t really connect with the young guys. Whenever you have a young group and especially a young core that you want to be part of their future, you have to be able to speak their language and kind of say something where they understand. If you don’t have that bond and natural connection, you’re never going to be able to win.”

Nance has seen the same.

“They’re older than the rookies and stuff like that, but at the same time, the second you step into this league you are a man,” Nance told cleveland.com. “It’s not like we’re in the hotel fighting about, ‘Oh, Kevin and Tristan want to watch CNN and Darius wants to watch Cartoon Network.’ It’s not that.

"All of us are basketball junkies so we watch basketball, we watch football. We’re all just dudes, you know what I mean? There’s a little bit of an age barrier, but we all essentially grew up doing the same thing and therefore we like the same things.”

Nance prides himself on being the Cleveland tour guide back home. He’s always willing to give advice on where to go, where to eat and how to best spend an off night.

A few months back, he took many of the first-year guys to Browns training camp and even gave Garland advice about posing for pictures and signing autographs.

Nance, 25, is part-veteran, part-youngster, and will still log on and play video games with the guys every now and then. That’s one way to connect even when not actually together.

“I think the more you are comfortable knowing someone as a person the more you are talking to them and it’s coming from a better place,” Nance said. “I mean, if I didn’t know you and walked up to you and gave you some criticism you’d be like, ‘What the hell? That guy is an ass.’ But if one of your friends came up to you, somebody you really know and just knew that they’re not talking out of the side of their mouth or saying something to benefit them … I mean, the more you know somebody the more someone is apt to take your advice.”

Seeing unity

There were times last year when team chemistry was tested. It will happen again this year. More losses are coming. Changes to the roster are likely as well. But the Cavs are hoping to build a sturdy foundation so they can weather the storm. Together.

Tuesday night in Philadelphia was an ideal example. No, the Cavs didn’t close. They squandered a five-point lead in the final three and a half minutes, allowing Philly to escape with a one-point victory. Beilein didn’t like the execution in two of the final three possessions, believing individuals were trying to do it on their own. Call it another lesson, a chance to learn from the failures. They have to correct the late-game errors, which have cost them more than one win.

As a team, there’s plenty of room for improvement. It’s a process that has no fast-forward button.

But after a last-second defeat against the 76ers, there wasn’t a feeling of dejection in the locker room. Well, except from Love, who was still reliving his missed 3-pointer, kicking himself for back-rimming what he felt was true when it left his fingertips.

Beilein was even able to chuckle about Thompson’s bizarre, dribbling, twisting heave from just across half court with a few ticks left on the shot clock. Thompson laughed it off too.

Exiting Wells Fargo Center -- the final stop on a six-day journey that started at a museum, took them on a train ride from New York to Philly and saw the Cavs claim back-to-back wins in Washington D.C. and New York before Tuesday’s stinger -- the guys were able to walk out of the arena and onto the team bus with their heads held high. They were more optimistic after pushing one of the Eastern Conference elites to the final buzzer.

Tuesday’s game -- and the trip itself -- didn’t end the way they hoped. But the Cavs certainly achieved one of their goals. They wanted to learn about themselves, get a better feel for their teammates. They wanted to gain an understanding of how to win on the road. Late Tuesday night, they were leaving more connected.

“I saw a growing unity among the team,” Beilein said. “We obviously have a long way to go in that direction, because in adversity sometimes that separates you very quickly.”

Love echoed those thoughts, pointing to a pair of wire-to-wire road victories, two more than they had upon leaving last week.

“We beat two teams that we feel like we can compete with and probably should have a chance to win,” Love said. “Then we nearly beat a team that’s going to be in the top three or four in the East at worst. They’re a team that’s really good. Tough matchup for us. I think we walk away feeling pretty damn good.”

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