CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 De\u2019Andre Hunter has been saying it for months now.<\/p>\n
The Cavs need to exercise their toughness. Not just strength. Not just size. The kind that shows up when the game gets uncomfortable, when bodies collide, when the margin for error disappears and someone has to decide whether they\u2019re willing to absorb the hit and keep coming.<\/p>\n
On Monday night against Charlotte, Hunter stopped talking about it and showed everyone exactly what he meant.<\/p>\n
With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Hornets forward Moussa Diabate swung an elbow that caught Hunter square in the nose. Blood spilled onto the floor at Rocket Arena. Hunter headed straight to the locker room as officials reviewed the play and Cleveland prepared to shoot free throws.<\/p>\n
Then the wrinkle arrived.<\/p>\n
If Hunter didn\u2019t return to the court to attempt the free throws himself, he\u2019d be ruled ineligible to come back for the rest of the game.<\/p>\n
Someone from the Cavs sprinted to the locker room to deliver the message.<\/p>\n
Hunter didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
He reemerged moments later to a roaring ovation, stepped to the line with his face freshly bloodied, calmly knocked down both free throws, then drilled a 3-pointer on the ensuing extra possession. In the span of about 90 seconds, a mid-December game against Charlotte turned into something more revealing. <\/p>\n
A snapshot of identity, resolve and an edge Cleveland has been searching for.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a tough dude, physical,\u201d coach Kenny Atkinson said after the Cavs\u2019 139-132 win<\/a>. \u201cBut that was a heck of a shot he took. … His arm could be falling off, and he probably would have came back and shot \u2018em with the other arm.<\/p>\n \u201cWith him tonight was both ends. I thought offensively, obviously, great, but defensively he\u2019s the one guy that can stand up these guys that kind of bully you and hit you with their shoulder. So he was great on both ends.\u201d<\/p>\n That last part matters just as much as the free throws.<\/p>\n The Cavs haven\u2019t lacked skill. What they\u2019ve lacked \u2014 especially when the calendar flips toward the postseason \u2014 is someone who welcomes contact, who embraces the confrontational parts of basketball instead of enduring them.<\/p>\n Hunter was brought here in February precisely because of that profile. A two-way wing with size, strength and the ability to score without being schemed into touches. But what\u2019s becoming increasingly clear is that his mindset may be just as valuable as his skill set.<\/p>\n The timing couldn\u2019t have been better. <\/p>\n How to watch the Cavs: See how to watch the Cavs games with this handy game-by-game TV schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n The last few weeks had been rough for Hunter, who was mired in a shooting slump and pressing through possessions. On Monday, he had 12 points at halftime. After the elbow, something clicked.<\/p>\n He stopped thinking \u2014 the most dangerous version of a scorer who had been pressing for weeks.<\/p>\n