CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs are past the quarter mark of the season, sitting at 12-9 and lodged in the play-in tier with the seventh seed.

As head coach Kenny Atkinson put it, “the sky is not falling.” Not when the organization entered the year prepared to absorb injuries and willing to sacrifice early wins to strengthen the long-term process.

But what they didn’t plan for, and what’s starting to gnaw at both fans and players, is how often they walk onto the court without the sharpness, urgency or hunger that championship teams carry as their baseline.

The latest example came Sunday night. Boston was without two of its best players, played the second half of a back-to-back and still built a 21-point lead on Cleveland before holding on 117-115. The Cavs are now on a three-game losing st

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