Jeff Zillgitt

USA TODAY Sports

Even LeBron James noted a difference between how things started for the Cleveland Cavaliers compared to his first year with the Miami Heat in 2010.

"More anger behind the questions," James said.

But the Cavaliers (3-3) didn't make it through one game before the blame and hyper-criticism shrouded the team and the intense scrutiny increased after they lost three of their first four.

Can Kyrie Irving run the show at point guard alongside James? Does Dion Waiters grasp the concept of moving the ball? What's wrong with the offense? What's wrong with the defense? Can the Cavaliers be a championship team?

James offered pointed criticism — "A lot of bad habits have been built up over the past couple of years" — and he urged anyone who would listen to "RELAX." All caps were used by James, for emphasis.

Does Irving dribble too much? Does Waiters shoot too much? Are James and Irving already bickering? What did first-time NBA Coach David Blatt get himself into?

All that in the first 10 days of the season, and it was the first real experience with the microscope searching for flaws, discord and issues in every word the Cavs utter, every pass they make or don't make and every shot they take or don't take.

"We need this," Waiters said. "We need to face adversity. We need to go through it early to become a better team. We know we're under the scope. We know coming in that all eyes are on us. I think we wanted that, especially for the guys who haven't really been around the spotlight. We've got to embrace it. We've got to know what comes with it and play (and) fight through it."

Patience might be something the team needs, but it's unwelcome by fans and critics, who often prefer instant gratification. There's especially no room for patience with a team featuring James, Irving, Waiters, Love, Tristan Thompson, Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and Anderson Varejao among others.

But with understandable words, the Cavs reminded everyone that the season is not even two weeks old. No need for panic or alarm. It's a work in progress. James has been here before. So has Miller, who is not nonplussed at the situation. Same for Shawn Marion.

"Everyone wants overnight success," James said. "It just doesn't happen in team sports when teams first come together."

Since the Cavaliers lost consecutive games to the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, they won consecutive games against the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans, and in those two wins, it was easy to see just how explosive the 3-3 Cavaliers can be on offense.

As expected, it begins with James, Irving and Love, who have scored 61% of Cleveland's points in the past two victories.

James appreciates an offense based on ball and player movement while understanding it's necessary to take advantage of one-on-one situations, whether it's him, Irving, Love or even Waiters in isolation.

The key was getting buy-in to play that style, and that's why James told news reporters that he won't tolerate a team that plays selfishly. That message has been heard, too. After just six assists on 30 baskets against the Jazz, the Cavs saw the power of ball movement. The ball finds the right shooter, and the shooter takes advantage.

Against Denver, the Cavs had 25 assists on 40 baskets, and against New Orleans, Cleveland had 26 assists on 40 baskets. James and Irving combined for 35 assists in those two games, and they are developing a rapport

"It's getting better every day," James said of his on-court relationship with Irving. "Each game, each film session, each practice, we have an opportunity to get better — see the things we do right, see the things we've done wrong and get better from it."

Love has been an efficient and quiet benefactor of the attention paid to James and Irving. Love scored 22 points and made six of nine three-pointers in that win against New Orleans. It's exactly why the Cavs and James wanted Love. As Marion, Miller and Waiters find their spots in the offense, Cleveland will be even more difficult to defend.

The glaring issue for this team, though, is defense. They have given up 100 points in regulation four times in six games. They have allowed opponent to make 62% of shots in the restricted zone and 39.9% on three-pointers. Those are two areas that need to improve.

"We have to do a better job of recognizing what guys do — what their pros are, what they don't like to do and force them to do something they're not comfortable doing," James said.

Blatt doesn't need a reminder that Cleveland is the second-worst rated team in defensive efficiency, allowing 110.1 points per 100 possessions. When asked about Cleveland's offense, he sidestepped.

In the past three games, the Cavaliers have allowed more than 50 points in at least one half — 56 points in the first against New Orleans, 56 in the second half against Denver and 59 in the first half against Utah.

"We're not going to win consistently with that," Blatt said.

Much work remains, and James knew that from that start. But here and there, and sometimes for extended stretches offensively and defensively, the potential for greatness is obvious. Having gone through a similar process with the Heat, it's possible the process is accelerated for the Cavaliers.

"This is the closest team I've ever been on," Irving said. "We have great friendships here. It's constant fun. When it's time to lock in, we lock in."

That's what James wants.

"That's great to hear from him," he said. "Hopefully, we continue that throughout the locker room. We're trying to build something here. We're trying to build a winning franchise, a winning attitude in the locker room every day, and we want to build it from the ground up and everyone feels like they're a part of something special."