CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cavaliers were expected to be the team to beat after forming the new Big Three last summer.

A few months into the season, it was Cleveland taking the beating. Trying to incorporate 11 new players was always going to be a tall task, but having arguably three of the NBA's top 15 players on one team resulted in a surprisingly underachieving 19-20 record in the all-forgiving Eastern Conference.

General Manager David Griffin said from Day One that the roster was flawed and needed an upgrade at key positions.

Trading for J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov in early January moved the needle and recomposed the team. However, before adding those three, the Cavaliers struggled to build any consistency and the players' discontent was apparent.

Under the condition of anonymity, some Cavs players admitted that they had lost faith because of the team's lack of depth. A handful of players said they came to realize the roster, as it was constructed before the trades, wasn't equipped to go any further than the second round, if that.

One player said the frustration of an "unbalanced roster probably contributed" to the players' poor body language and effort level. Another said "it was never Coach [David] Blatt's fault."

The consensus was that their confidence had faltered considerably more because of the shallowness of the team's reserve talent than Blatt.

"I think our confidence has definitely gone up and guys now believe that we are a team that can get stops," center Tristan Thompson said after the Cavs trounced the Charlotte Hornets 129-90 on Friday. "I think our mindset wasn't there before. I felt like people never felt us on defense. They knew we were good offensively, but defensively teams thought they could have their way against us. We're changing that."

There's no question that the current five-game winning streak has impressed more than just fans. Players recognize they're winning on the defensive end.

"We are trusting each other in a big way," forward Kevin Love said. "We have each other's back so if somebody gets beat, the other guy is stepping up. If (an opponent) makes a pass, somebody is stepping up and taking that guy."

Blatt is finally furnished with the freedom to be creative. He's able to run specialized defensive schemes based on the new roster and it has instilled a long-missing edge.

"I think more than anything it's taking responsibility and competing," LeBron James said after registering 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists. "It's something we haven't done all year, but I feel like right now that's what we're doing."

Charlotte entered the game winners of seven of its last nine. Yet Cleveland beat the Hornets to a pulp, establishing arena records with 129 points and the margin of victory.

The Cavs are playing some motivated, rejuvenated basketball. It should only continue to blossom. The roster is now formidable, but the construction isn't done. It's known they are searching for a backup point guard, but they are also in the market for a backup center and bench help.

Regardless, if old troubles resurface, the roster won't be to blame this time around.

"The new year and having those new guys is somewhat of a fresh start, but when things are good, we just have to try to keep it rolling," Love said.