CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavaliers head coach Larry Drew said his primary responsibility this season -- keeping the team from cracking during a tumultuous season -- has been one of his greatest tests.

Drew used tricks learned over the years from other coaches, both that he’s played for and worked alongside. He focused on making sure guys stayed upbeat and enjoyed the daily grind even while the losses continued to pile up. Instead of getting beaten down by the numerous injuries and ever-changing lineups, Drew demanded a level of professionalism and competitiveness.

Judging by his player’s comments, he has succeeded.

“This has probably been the best locker room I’ve been a part of,” Larry Nance Jr. told cleveland.com Sunday night.

As Nance was talking, rookie Collin Sexton, about five feet away while seated in front of his locker, chimed in.

“Thank you, Larry,” Sexton said with a smile. Nance paused. Then he stared at Sexton, took a deep breath and fired back at the rookie who used to draw the ire of his teammates.

“Well, except Collin. I can’t stand that kid,” Nance said in a joking manner.

That short back and forth shows how much the Cleveland locker room has evolved. In November, there was disharmony. Having moody, disgruntled JR Smith, who didn’t consistently hold up his end of a promise made to the front office to be a good teammate, played a part in that. But the bad air didn’t only come from him.

At that time, the young players -- Sexton and Cedi Osman -- were getting singled out. Some questioned whether they even belonged in the NBA, why they were getting so many minutes. When those feelings came to light, Drew brought his group together and preached patience.

That patience started to wear thin again when the defense slipped to historical lows in early January. The numbers once again pointed to Sexton and Osman as the main culprits. Near the end of a six-game losing streak later that month, the frustration built again and the whispers got louder.

But even during the dark times, a byproduct of being one of the league’s worst teams, the Cavs didn’t completely break.

Drew was a big reason for that. Love’s return played a big role, giving the Cavs a needed lift. His leadership has been vital. The other vets helped too. Well, one in particular.

“Channing. One hundred percent,” Nance said when asked who kept it all together. “He doesn’t let you be in a bad mood. He doesn’t let you alienate yourself. There are days you want to come in and just say, ‘Alright, want to come get my shots up and then leave. Not in the mood for this.’ Or you come off the court and you’re like, ‘I just had two turnovers’ and you’re angry coming to the bench, and Channing jokes or says something light-hearted and it’s hard to stay mad with a guy like him around.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear Frye’s name at the center of it. He was considered by Tristan Thompson as the “glue” of the 2016 title team. General manager Koby Altman has been one of many to single Frye out, saying the championship doesn’t happen without him. The Cavs honored Frye Sunday afternoon, putting him in the starting lineup and making it Channing Frye Day. When he exited for the final time, his teammates tackled him to the floor. After the game, they all spoke about how much they loved him.

Frye, who is averaging just 3.4 points, has been instrumental during this rebuild. He’s helped set the culture.

“It’s awesome. I think it’s a positive-but-real locker room where people can flourish and develop,” Frye told cleveland.com. “All of them wanted to stay. I think they realized everyone here is just trying to play good basketball, supporting each other and I think you have seen that. I think it starts with 15 down to 1. If we can hold each other accountable and be honest then it creates a great environment for guys to be like, ‘Damn Channing, that was a messed up shot. So shoot this one next time.’ But it’s not like, ‘Hey, you suck.’ It’s more like, ‘That shot sucks.’ It’s nothing personal. We all just want to win. So for me, just making sure guys are ready and have the right kind of attitude.”

That approach starts behind the scenes. That’s where Drew comes in. In a recent session, he moved the big guys to point guard. He took the backcourt players and tossed them in the frontcourt.

“Players really got a kick out of it,” Drew said. “They enjoyed it so we try to keep it spiced up. It’s my job to make sure that they don’t allow themselves to get caught in a psychological rut and what I try to do is try to keep it, I talk about keeping things professional number one, but you gotta sprinkle some things in there that make it fun. It can’t always feel like work, sometimes you just have to do a few things that kind of break the monotony of a long season and keep things interesting.”

The Cavs’ loss Sunday dropped them to 62 losses on the season. That’s the fourth-most in franchise history. On Friday night, they solidified the NBA’s worst road record, falling to 6-35. That’s the team’s fewest road wins since the 2002-03 season -- the year before LeBron James arrived for the first time. That same night in Oakland, the Cavs clinched a spot among the worst three records in the league, guaranteeing them a 14 percent chance of drafting No. 1 overall.

But even after that loss against Golden State, a night the Cavs rallied from 21 points down to make it a one-possession game in the final minutes, there wasn’t a feeling a hopelessness. And that vibe, for the most part, has stayed out of the locker room.

“High-character guys. Guys that you know are going to play until the buzzer sounds,” Thompson said when asked to describe the locker room. “That’s what you want from this kind of team, guys that aren’t going to lay down, die and lose by 20. For us to compete and go all the way to the end, shows the guys we have.

“Guys love each other. In terms of a team that’s not doing as well as we want to be, guys have great attitudes and it’s been fun to come to work every day. I’m enjoying it.”

Thompson said he hopes the fight shown by the Cavaliers during the second half of the season can carry over into 2019-20. Many of the players will be back. But Drew might not be. He said he hasn’t discussed his future with the club. Drew took over when Tyronn Lue was fired in October after a 0-6 start, eventually getting a pay raise and new contract, which includes a team option for next season.

When Drew sits down for those conversations this off-season, if he decides he wants to stick beyond this year, he has a pretty strong case.

“How we have been able to handle a very tough situation,” Drew said. “Has it been easy? Not at all. The one thing I try to share with all of our players is sometimes we go through things and those things shape us into being who we are today. You have to take the bitter with the sweet. You have to take the good with the bad. Not always going to be the way you want it, but you have to learn how to deal with tough times, how to deal with rough times, how to deal with adversity. Those are the things that make you a stronger person.

"Our guys have done a phenomenal job of maintaining a level of professionalism and going out every night and playing hard. We’re not going to play well every night, but we can play hard every night. Our guys have done that. I applaud them for how they’ve been able to handle it.”

After Nance and Sexton traded barbs and shared a laugh, Nance left the locker room. He -- and the Cavs -- will come back one more time on Tuesday night.

It’s been a brutal 82-game season, the toughest of Drew’s career. The summer will be long. There were crippling injuries that led to lengthy losing skids. At one point this season, the Cavs allowed the “what-ifs” to start creeping in. It would have been easy to walk away early, effectively just throwing in the towel. It never happened. The Cavs haven’t stopped fighting. The final buzzer hasn’t sounded yet.

“No, seriously, this has been one of the best locker rooms I’ve been around in terms of the guys we have and just the camaraderie,” Nance said. “It’s been a tough year, but the growth we have had as people and players has been immense.

“It’s really easy to smile and laugh when things are going good. We have had a heck of a year. I think it sets our locker room apart that guys can keep smiling through it all and see the silver linings in things.”

Get Cavs Insider texts in your phone from Chris Fedor: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with one of the NBA’s best beat reporters -- just like you would with your friends. It’s just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here.