Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue liked the pace in the first half of Tuesday night's preseason opener. (Maddie Meyer, Getty Images)

BOSTON -- The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the preseason with an impressive 102-95 win against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

Yes, it's only an exhibition game and the starters played just one half, but as head coach Tyronn Lue said afterwards, the Cavs are trying to win each time they take the court.

Getting that victory made Tuesday a success.

Only the smiling faces in the locker room weren't simply a result of the final score. The Cavs have been working on a new offensive approach all camp and trying to sharpen their communication on defense. There was some worry from Lue that the team was actually a bit behind on the offensive end heading into the opener.

It sure didn't look that way, as the Cavs scored 59 points in the first half.

For Lue, seeing the hard work translate -- even if just for one night -- should give him the confidence that the Cavaliers are moving in the right direction.

Here are five observations.

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Pushing the pace

Kevin Love grabbed the rebound, one of his four, and turned to look up court. Instead of launching one of his customary outlet passes -- touchdowns, as he likes to call them -- or quickly seeking help from one of the guards, Love started dribbling toward the other end by himself.

It's the second time in the last few days that Love -- and other non-guards -- have taken this approach.

The phrase pushing the pace can have a lot of different definitions. For some teams, it's about seeking shots early in the clock, trying to get as many possessions as possible throughout a game. For others, it's about sprinting to the other end and trying to attack before a defense can get set. Or maybe it's just playing with a purpose while not holding the ball and surveying the defense. There's also the stat used by the NBA -- an estimate of the number of possessions per 48 minutes by a team.

So what's the Cavs' definition? Tuesday provided that answer.

Lue wants quick decisions. He also wants more passing and movement. Whether it's a rebound or a made shot, Lue wants the Cavs getting the ball ahead quickly. He's given his players freedom to grab and go, even if it's not the typical break-starter.

"Overall in that first half having four turnovers with the pace we played at was really good," he said. "Have to keep building off that and continue to keep getting in better shape. Overall I thought the activity, effort and pace was there."

According to NBA.com stats, the Cavs PACE metric was 100.3. Accounting for only the first half, when the Cavs played their regulars and pounded the Celtics by 19 points in those 24 minutes, the number was 102.4.

Lue later said the team got bogged down in the second half, as not everyone knew what they were doing.

So let's put this in perspective. The number 102.4, if extrapolated over the course of an entire season, would have placed fourth in the NBA.

Last year's Cavs failed to reach that mark in 60 of the 82 games. Sure, there will be growing pains and old habits still need broke, but playing fast has been stressed since Day 1. In their first crack at it, the Cavs put words into action.

"We feel like we can take it to a whole 'nother level," Love said. "We feel like that is going to be our identity -- pushing the ball 1-5 and we did that tonight. Take advantage of mismatches, make teams play at our pace. We still feel like we can take it a notch or two up, with us being ready to play 48 minutes and a lot of guys saw minutes tonight in that second half and we feel like we are in a good place right now, but there's a couple more weeks of training camp and we look forward to opening night."

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Up 59-40 at the half, the @cavs are playing with pace and tempo.



And @rodneyhood is enjoying it. #CavsCeltics pic.twitter.com/aZU86Aeski — FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) October 3, 2018

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Love-ing the new approach

The Cavs also provided a glimpse of how they are going to use Love this season. Think Al Horford with Boston.

Yes, Love will be the hub of the offense, getting touches in places the Cavaliers ignored for the bulk of four years.

When he's not posting up or exploiting mismatches, he'll be setting screens, initiating offense from the elbow, top of the key or pinch post, working out to the 3-point line and running dribble-handoffs with Rodney Hood and Collin Sexton, among others.

In other words, a little bit of everything.

On Tuesday night, Love took three shots in the paint, four mid-rangers, three from beyond the arc and seven free throws. The Cavs probably want the in-between shots to come down. But that chart shows Love's unique repertoire.

"I hope it's kind of close to what he did in Minnesota," Lue said. "In Minnesota, carrying that franchise, being a focal point, playing a lot from the elbows, posting a lot more, we know he can do that. When he came here he sacrificed to win a championship and he did that. He had to be the one to sacrifice most of the time. Now he's back in this role and pretty excited about it so I'm excited as well."

The Celtics played a smaller starting lineup. They also deployed a switch-heavy defensive approach. The Cavs -- and Love -- took advantage.

Gordon Hayward got the assignment against Love because he was announced as the starting power forward. He had no chance. When other smaller defenders switched onto Love, the All-Star worked his way near the hoop.

Small-ball is becoming the norm in the NBA. So, too, is a switching defense. If teams are going to play non-traditional 4s against the Cavs, then Love will feast. Last season, Love scored 0.98 points per post possession, ranking in the 79th percentile.

He still has a dynamic back-to-the-basket game. It just wasn't utilized enough. The Cavs seem determined to change that.

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Aggressive Rodney

Lue identified Rodney Hood as the team's second scoring option recently. Hood sure acted like it against the Celtics.

Looking for his shot throughout the first half, Hood was aggressively attacking the basket, making two out of three shots at the rim -- an area where he needs to improve.

"Thought Rodney was really good," Lue said. "He was getting to his shot. I think he will be good for us."

Hood lost himself last season. His confidence faded and he couldn't handle the constant pressure and burdensome expectations. Plus, the LeBron-centric system did him no favors, as he often had the ball taken out of his hands.

That shouldn't be a problem this season. The Cavs are looking for as many scorers as possible.

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Room for one more?

David Nwaba came off the bench and provided a nice boost. His defensive tenacity and energy are both expected. After all, that's Nwaba's calling card. His scoring lift, however, was a bonus.

Nwaba scored 12 points in 12 minutes, making four out of five shots.

Lue was asked recently if he can play more than 10 players during the regular season. In past years, Lue spoke about that being the most comfortable number in his every night rotation. It seemed that way again in the opener, as Lue substituted in bulk as if he were making hockey-style line changes.

Neither of those groups included Nwaba. He had to wait until the second half. But it may be tough for Lue to keep him on the bench.

Arguably the team's toughest on-ball defender, Nwaba can switch seamlessly 1-3 and may even be able to hold his own against smaller 4s. That defensive versatility is needed, especially with more of an emphasis on that end of the floor.

"Came in and gave great energy, great burst, rebounding the basketball, pushing it, getting to the basket in transition, driving closeouts, defending the basketball," Lue said. "He's a pro's pro. He's a dog. He likes the competition."

In a season where the little things are vital, it's hard not to see Nwaba force his way into the rotation -- just as he did unexpectedly in Chicago.

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JR Smith questions

Lue doesn't fully understand the constant questions about Smith. But they will continue until there's an answer. And not just about his availability either.

The real question is whether he has a role.

Hood got the nod in Smith's old starting place Tuesday night and we already know the Cavs have big expectations for the 6-foot-8 swingman.

So here's another question: Is the championship equity built up by Smith enough to shove Hood out of the starting group?

Then there's Cedi Osman, who also reached double figures in his preseason debut. Would they move Hood to small forward and Osman to the bench? Those are the only two options for Smith to reclaim his starting spot.

If he comes off the bench, where does he fit?

Kyle Korver's gravity is paramount. It led to Sexton's first NBA basket and will help take pressure off the youngster, who looks like he will be running the second unit. Jordan Clarkson's scoring punch makes him an obvious candidate to stay in the rotation.

So, again, if Lue is only going to play 10, where does Smith fit?

Smith's camp was told to expect this kind of uncertainty. Maybe there will be some clarity Saturday night, as Lue said Smith will play.

That's one answer. Plenty more are still needed.