Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue talks with LeBron James during the second half of a recent loss to the Indiana Pacers. The struggling Cavs have lost nine of 12 games.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — With sweat streaking down his face and into his bushy beard, LeBron James was not in a playful mood following practice.

The cold stare. The pursed lips. The focus.

This is no time for frivolity.

With Cleveland in the midst of its annual January deep freeze, a troubling stretch where losing multiplies quickly into rumors, drama and even more distractions for the NBA’s most scrutinized superstar and his teammates, the Cavaliers are being questioned again.

And for good reason.

While they played well for more than three quarters in a loss — their ninth in 12 games — on Monday night to the defending champion Golden State Warriors, James found little to be encouraged about.

“You don’t win championships ... losing a game is not encouraging at all,” he said. “I liked the way we played in the first half. I liked the way we competed. But you get encouraged when you come out here and work when there ain’t nobody watching. I’m more encouraged on what we did today than I am in the game the other day.”

The Cavs remain a work in progress, an incomplete picture.

Their aging roster, defensive deficiencies, injuries, Isaiah Thomas’ slow-and-still-uncertain comeback from a hip injury and an inability to beat the league’s elite teams have conjoined to raise doubts about whether the Cavs are still the best team in the East or one good enough to reach their fourth straight NBA Finals.