CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers don't have an abundance of great individual defenders.

They deployed LeBron James on Kemba Walker late in the fourth quarter of Friday's one-point win against the Charlotte Hornets, as James has become Cleveland's late-game stopper.

Jae Crowder arrived with a reputation that hasn't yet matched his on-court contributions. But he's still getting more comfortable and there are signs of improvement. Jeff Green has shown flashes, using his unique combination of size, length and athleticism to hound players at the point-of-attack. Iman Shumpert, currently sidelined with a sore knee, is a hard-nosed defender that James once proclaimed had All-Defense ability. Dwyane Wade has been better than expected, tallying two more blocks.

But there's only a few of those guys scattered across this offensive-minded roster. So the Cavs have to find another way. It's with their scheme, one that has been at the center of this seven-game winning streak.

"With this group now and with us playing, or at least me playing out of position, we've been blitzing quite a bit," Kevin Love told cleveland.com. "I think teams have come to expect that and they've adjusted to it and we've stayed true to that and know that is going to be our bread and butter on the defensive end."

When the Cavs opened training camp, they had a specific plan: Switch 1 through 4 and blitz with the 5.

The Cavs rarely blitzed pick-and-rolls during the regular season last year because head coach Tyronn Lue didn't want to reveal too much and give opponents too much film.

But based on the personnel and expected starting lineup -- Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Jae Crowder and Love -- it made sense to go to it earlier. The strategy was expected to mask Rose's defensive flaws and keep Love from having his weaknesses exposed.

The first few games it looked encouraging, holding the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks under 100 points. Then it all changed and the defense quickly deteriorated.

With Wade asking to come off the bench, the Cavs moved Tristan Thompson back into the starting lineup and Love to his old spot. Because of the Thompson-Love-James frontcourt, which got shredded by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, giving up 248 points in 80 total minutes together, the Cavs couldn't use the tactic they spent hours working on during training camp.

After all, switching 1-4 doesn't really work with two bigs. And the blitz isn't as nearly as effective with Love and Thompson on the court together.

The lack of consistency, chemistry and communication was apparent as well, especially with shuffled lineups.

While it's taken some time to build that, the trust is starting to show.

"I feel like once we have gotten our rotations down we've always been able to be good in the blitz," Love said. "We're just a group that thrives on that because we don't have -- even with Channing (Frye) -- a five-man that's like a classic big."

The best way to make up for a lack of rim protection? Keep explosive drivers out of the paint by tossing two defenders in their path. The best way to defend a team with one All-Star? Force the other players to beat you.

As Love explained, the schedule has also aided the defensive rise and kept opponents from poking holes in the blitz scheme.

The danger with the blitz is putting two players on the ball handler and leaving someone open. If the big is a playmaker -- Kristaps Porzingis, Draymond Green or even Joel Embiid who the Cavs will see Monday night -- then the defense may start to break down, forcing a change in strategy.

But during this winning streak, where the Cavs rank 11th in defensive rating, that hasn't been all that necessary. The Cavs have faced more traditional centers -- Dwight Howard twice, Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Tyler Zeller.

Against the Hornets, Walker was the target, the one player the Cavs were trying to take away. Keeping Walker from being the hub of the offense, the Cavs effectively blew up what the Hornets wanted to do. Without Nic Batum, who was sidelined with an injury, the Hornets had few other places to turn.

Even on the times when the Cavs were slow to recover, Charlotte's supporting cast often came up empty.

When Walker finally shook free, he couldn't get any shots to drop, completely out of rhythm because of the constant defensive attention early.

"I mean, the best pick-and-roll player in the league I think they said, um, numbers wise," Lue said. "Tough cover, so we just wanted to try and get it out of his hands and I thought by us blitzing him, him trying to dribble around the blitz and split, he got a little worn down, got a little tired, and the shots he usually makes, he missed because I thought the blitz really wore him down."

Love, who struggles defensively, is the biggest beneficiary.

"Playing guys like Dwight it definitely helps alleviate some of the load for me on that end of the floor so I can still try to be effective on the offensive end," Love said. "But we have a lot of like-size guys -- Swish, Jeff, Bron, D-Wade -- all strong and guys that play that low spot that are on the rotation and able to meet the big and make him make a decision or make a play."

On Friday, with the game hanging in the balance and the Cavs needing stops to extend their winning streak, they repeatedly attacked on defense.

In the fourth quarter, the Cavs held the Hornets to 17 points on 6-of-17 from the field and 0-of-8 from 3-point range. They also forced four turnovers while holding Walker to two points on 1-of-5 shooting and 0-of-4 from 3-point range in crunch time. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting and 2-of-11 beyond the arc.

Earlier this season, it didn't appear the Cavs had the components to win a defensive game. Maybe they still don't -- at least, consistently.

But for now, they have found something that makes their defense look respectable.

"We have the right athletes and players on the court to do so," Crowder told cleveland.com. "We just had to find the right thing that fits us. It's not going to be the same as last year's team because of different players. Defensively, I'm just trying to react and fly around, be active and help one another. That's what our defense is based on -- helping one another."

Blitzing also forces the Cavs to be more aggressive. It keeps them locked in.

All of the Cavs' defensive problems are far from fixed. They have only played one top-10 offense (New York) during this streak. In the first three quarters Friday, the Hornets scored 82 points on 44 percent shooting and 52 percent from beyond the arc. Isaiah Thomas' impending return could lead to more complications.

Still, this new game plan has allowed them to simplify things, be more consistent and build confidence. Friday was another positive step.

"We knew something had to change. Or something had to give," Love admitted. "We're still not where we need to be and you can see that. We're still not putting it together like we should be able to for a large span. I'm not saying in the past we always did that, but we did it for longer efforts and more sustained effort while we were historically good on offense."

Asked what the next step is for the Cavs, Love paused before trying to come up with an answer.

"I don't know," he said. "It's funny because Channing said something tonight like we have another level. This was at halftime. 'We have another level, we have another level.' We all tend to agree.

"We don't know exactly what it is but I guess we'll find out."