INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- The Cavs left town 14 days ago wanting to win four of the six games they were to play on their longest trip of the season, which spanned three time zones, two coasts, and the Brooklyn and Bay bridges.

Instead they won three.

"The last game wasn't our best game, but it is what it is," coach Tyronn Lue said after practice Wednesday. "We were one game down from where we wanted to be going into this trip, so, not a big deal. We can make that up."

Right. Cleveland's 126-91 loss to arch-rival Golden State Monday night to wrap up the road trip was not the Cavs' finest moment. They've lost three of four and four of seven.

But if the Cavs just beat the Phoenix Suns at The Q on Thursday, they arrive at the official midway point of their 82-game schedule in the same place as they were last season: with 30 wins, 11 defeats and more than a puncher's chance to reach the Finals for a third consecutive season.

And that is the overwhelming, pervasive attitude in Cavsland.

"No one around here is panicking," said Kyle Korver, Cleveland's newest player. "Obviously we have a lot to get better at, but no one seems overly worried so I'm not going to be either."

If there ever was a "big picture" franchise, the Cavs are it. They pay little mind to the here and now, with all their focus squarely on preparing for what's to come in April.

Players rest nagging injuries and heavy legs. Practices are few, in part because the Cavs are the NBA's most veteran bunch and also because they plan to be playing for another six months.

Cleveland is the NBA's fifth-best scoring time right now at 109.7 points per game, but didn't get above 92 in its three losses. Assists are down, turnovers are up. Lue suggested the team's recent offensive woes are linked in large part to the addition of Korver, who of course was brought in to boost the offense.

"We tried to incorporate Kyle into the rotation," Lue said. Korver was acquired in a trade form the Hawks and debuted Jan. 10 in Utah. "Guys were playing different minutes, different roles, we didn't know how we was going to work him into our rotation but we knew we had to. So that was kind of tough as far as trying to get the rotation right, who was playing with who, what plays to run, trying to call plays on the fly because he didn't know the plays. So that kind of put our offense at a disadvantage, being stagnant and not being able to run stuff we've normally been running because he didn't know the plays."

Lue also said the Cavs' ball movement -- so prevalent earlier in the season -- slowed considerably on the trip, something they addressed at practice Wednesday.

Cleveland is ranked 13th in the NBA in defense (100.6 ppg) and 16th in opponents' field-goal percentage (45.2 percent). Lue shrugged off the middling defensive numbers, answering the Cavs are by design an offense-first group.

"We've never been a great defensive team," he said. "That's not who we are. When we get to the playoffs and we're able to put in schemes and stuff to stop different teams we're a lot different and we're a lot better. On a night-to-night basis it's tough for us defensively."

The Cavs are one of two NBA teams with a trio of scorers averaging at least 20 points -- LeBron James (25.6), Kyrie Irving (23.6), and Kevin Love (20.7). Korver is the eighth-best 3-point shooter in NBA history; Channing Frye is a stretch-center who comes off the bench to shoot 3s.

Cleveland is among the league's top 3-point shooting teams, and J.R. Smith hasn't been himself all season. There were nagging injuries and shooting slump that dropped him to 8.6 points and 36.2-percent shooting from 3-point range; and then a fractured thumb suffered Dec. 20 may cost him three months.

The Cavs are hoping Smith returns either by or early on during the playoffs, and otherwise wants to add to their roster through trades and free agency. But as Lue said, "you can't make a trade every day.

"We acquired Kyle Korver and we've got to be patient for other pieces we need, but, we're still a good team, we're still the champs and we got to play like that," Lue said.

The Cavs have been great at home (18-3) and less so on the road (11-7). There's a huge game upcoming at The Q Saturday, when San Antonio makes its annual trip. Another rugged road slate awaits Cleveland in early February, with a four-game trek to New York, Washington, Indiana, and Oklahoma City. Only the Knicks are not currently among the top eight in their respective conference out of those teams.

Then again, the Cavs are first in the East. James has played in six consecutive Finals. The idea, of course, is for both trends to continue.

Even if they're not exactly playing like it the last week.

"We got a lot of room for improvement and that's a great thing to have," James said during the trip. "You're peakin' right now, that's not good."

"I think I see where we're going," Korver added. "I see how it's all going to come together."