Will LeBron James' relationship with Dwyane Wade stand in the way of the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Miami Heat?

MIAMI, Fla. – When LeBron James was seen fraternizing, laughing it up with "his brother" Dwyane Wade at the half with the Cleveland Cavaliers down 21 to the Miami Heat, you had to wonder if it had a negative psychological effect on his teammates.

The two superstars were all smiles on the sideline, but only one of them had a reason to truly be smiling at that moment.

Let's say Cavs coach Tyronn Lue had a spirited halftime speech in which he challenged his guys to pick up the intensity, demanded they play with aggression and urged them to stick together, no matter what.

And then immediately after, James drifts off and entertains Wade while the rest of his Cavaliers teammates are shooting jumpers, getting warmed up for what they're hoping to be a forceful second-half comeback attempt.

How are his teammates supposed to digest that playful interaction? It wasn't the best look.

Whether it played a part in the Cavaliers' crumbling even further in the third quarter and facing a deficit of 33 points is anybody's guess. But, James continuing to hang out with the opposition's best player -- a player who happens to be one of his best friends, a player he won two titles with -- isn't conducive to building locker-room camaraderie.

The brotherly love those two players share is genuine, but James might need to consider suspending that relationship until the Cavs can at least win a game in Miami. Cleveland has now lost 11 straight at American Airlines Arena following Friday's 122-101 beat-down. The  last win was on Jan. 25, 2010.

This could very well be a team the Cavaliers see in the playoffs. By losing the season series, 2-1, Cleveland has given Miami confidence that the reigning Eastern Conference champs can be dethroned.

"I don't know if it's concerning," James said. "The way they beat us here, it's a little concerning if we face them. But I think we'll be ready for it even more. It's not about the wins or losses, it's how you win or lose, and tonight we didn't play with the biggest potential we can play with."

In the Cavaliers' locker room after the game, there was so much dead air that you could hear a pin drop. It was a somber atmosphere. Kyrie Irving left without speaking to media. Typically, players aren't in a rush to depart South Beach, but that's just how badly they were outplayed.

"There's a number of reasons why it went down the way it did, but more than anything, we just want to get back home," Cavs power forward Kevin Love said after a seven-point, one rebound performance.

Miami has been getting rave reviews for its new small-ball lineup. The addition of Joe Johnson and the bold move of bringing Hassan Whiteside off the bench have paid huge dividends. It's a quicker, more up-tempo lineup.

James said, "They definitely pushed the tempo on us...Their pace definitely affected us."

But that loss had nothing to do with what the Heat did and had everything to do with what the Cavaliers didn't do.

"It's a combination of competing, defending, and [not] moving the ball," the Cavs' J.R. Smith said after only scoring two points on two field-goal attempts. "It happens, I guess."

The Cavs' toughness has always been in question. Yes, they are the most talented bunch in the conference, but the scouting report still emphasizes being physical with them and you'll give yourself a chance in the end. The word is the Cavaliers would rather play a finesse game than mix it up.

"Well it (physicality) needs to be part of our identity," James said. "I'm not saying that we have it. It's off and on. It's a light switch for the most part. For us, we've got to understand that teams are going to be physical with us, bring the physical game to us and we've got to be able to accept the challenge."

There are mental, physical and psychological problems preventing the Cavaliers from being mentioned in the same breath as the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. James might need to put aside a friendship momentarily, and the team as a whole might need to put aside personal objectives for one common cause.

There are 13 games left in the regular season, and right now this team doesn't resemble a championship-level unit.

That could all change come April. But if the Cavs finish the regular season out on the same roller coaster they're currently riding on, they'll enter the postseason with the "ready or not, here we come" approach.

"You would like to be playing extremely well in late February going into March," James said, "but if not, then you just work your habits and continue to work what you've been doing over the season and then get ready for the postseason."