Cavaliers' winning streak highlights depth, as team learns how to thrive with LeBron James on bench: Chris Fedor

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The ending to the script was the same Wednesday night: LeBron James putting an exclamation point on a Cleveland Cavaliers' victory. But the rest of the game didn't follow the usual narrative.

That's a promising sign for a growing team.

With the Cavaliers trailing by three points late in the third quarter, James plowed into Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist before the whistle blew.

Referee Derrick Stafford, who had drawn Cleveland's ire all night, called an offensive foul, sending an incredulous James straight to the bench with his fourth foul and forcing head coach Tyronn Lue to alter his customary rotation. At that point, the crowd could sense the door creeping open for the Hornets to snap their losing skid.

Must be nice to have a future Hall-of-Famer pop off the bench.

Dwyane Wade, the new anchor of the Cavs' revamped second unit, helped lead a 9-2 run to close out the third quarter, pushing the Cavs back in front by four.

His overall numbers don't point to a dominant performance. But numbers can sometimes be deceiving and Wade's knack for making winning plays and lifting players around him is still obvious.

"I just thought D-Wade and them came in with the second unit, ran a lot of floppy stuff through Kyle and Channing," Lue said. "Those guys played well. Jeff Green came in, we ran some of our other action, so, that unit is used to playing with each other, so when it happened I tried to get that second unit out there together so they could run our offense and I thought they did a good job of it."

That second unit surged again to open the fourth quarter, outscoring the Hornets by three points.

Just like that, six and a half minutes without James and the Cavs were on the positive side of a 10-point turnaround, as Charlotte squandered its best chance.

Then James came back.

First, he tossed an alley-oop to Wade. Then James found Frye near the basket for a layup. After a Frye jumper and a pair of baskets by James, the Cavs had built a double-digit lead for the first time since early in the game.

Yes, James scored or assisted on 12 of the team's final 20 points after checking back into the game. He had the steal and breakaway dunk that appeared to be the dagger. But the comeback wouldn't have been possible without the second unit, a group that is quickly becoming one of the league's best.

On Wednesday, Wade, Kyle Korver, Channing Frye and Jeff Green accounted for 19 of the 27 fourth-quarter points.

Frye scored seven in the final period. Korver, who torched the Knicks on Monday, tallied five against Charlotte. Green matched that output and added to his highlight reel with a thunderous dunk. Wade had two points, two assists and one rebound.

This isn't the first time the bench has played a pivotal role either.

Even though the Cavs couldn't complete the comeback against the Houston Rockets in the second leg of the road trip, Green flourished while Kevin Love was saddled with foul trouble.

On Monday night, Lue yanked his starters with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter while the listless Cavs trailed by 17 points.

The Bench Mob sliced two points off New York's lead heading into the fourth quarter and then a few pieces -- Korver, Frye, Wade and Green -- were at the center of a furious late-game rally.

Just like Wednesday, James' brilliance became a big part of the ending against the Knicks. But it was the second unit, one Lue relied on to save the team from an embarrassing loss, that sparked the comeback.

It's been small stretches and still too early to make rash conclusions. But these Cavs are learning how to stand without James.

In the final two wins to cap the successful trip, the most effective trio featured bench players Wade, Korver and Frye, outscoring opponents by 30 points in 40 minutes.

This season, in 149 minutes with James sitting, the Cavs have only been outscored by one point and the net rating is miniscule.

"It's always a great feeling to see your teammates be successful and that's what they're in there for," James told reporters. "So, they did a heck of a job in that fourth quarter giving us a lead and then when I came back in I just wanted to try to close it out for them and I was able to do that. They were exceptional, though. My teammates were unbelievable tonight."

Not just tonight. All season. What a difference a year makes.

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