New players pump life into the Cavaliers

The Cavaliers should have left a simple message on the grease board in the visitor’s locker room as they exited TD Garden on Feb. 11:

“See ya in May in the playoffs.”

Signed: The James Gang.

The Cavs played their first road game of the new calendar year in Boston on Jan. 3 and were drilled, 102-88. They looked tired, old and disinterested that day, as they had for more than seven weeks until General Manager Koby Altman hit the reset button on Feb. 8 by trading away six players to acquire four — four players that want to be Cavaliers and shoot for a championship.

The four newest Cavaliers all contributed in the 121-99 drubbing of the Celtics before a national television audience three days after the trade in their first game in a Cleveland uniform.

MICHAEL DWYER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LeBron James reacts to a call beside the Celtics’ Greg Monroe during the second quarter on Feb. 11 in Boston.

Jeff Schudel