In his postgame press conference, Frank Vogel's talked about the Los Angeles Lakers‘ progress in terms of home construction.

“We’re like building a house,” he said. “You know, you’re building a house or you’re putting on an addition, you got all these construction workers in your house and it’s a pain … and there’s plastic up and sawdust and it’s a pain … But you keep saying to yourself, ‘When this is done, it’s going to be great.’ You know what I mean? That’s where we’re at right now.”

On Friday, thanks to an electric second half vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Staples Center, the Lakers made significant progress towards building their contender, up from a rickety foundation.

After a shaky first two quarters — emblematic of the season to this point — the Lakers kicked into gear like Lewis Hamilton with DRS in the third quarter. Ultimately, they rolled to a 113-101 win in front of a rollicking crowd.

Normally, a (supposed) “juggernaut” like the Lakers beating up on an upstart squad like the Cavs at home wouldn't be a particularly big deal. But, considering the Lakers' trials and tribulations thus far, the manner in which they won this game carries outsized importance. Here are a few reasons why:

1) The Lakers defense locked in

For the first time this season, the Lakers won the third quarter (34-31). They outscored Cleveland, 59-47 in the second half. For the game, the Cavs shot 42.5% from the field.

The Lakers' defensive rotations and focus were tight in the second half — thanks in part to inspired efforts from Austin Reaves and Avery Bradley. They registered six blocks to Cleveland's one, despite the Cavs playing a 3-big lineup for most of the affair.

“I thought that we had some good spurts throughout the game, but the best way for us to win the game is to get stops,” Russell Westbrook said. “They had a 16-point fourth quarter, which shows what we're capable of and what we can do. We really locked in.”

The Anthony Davis Defensive Player of the Year campaign is off to a hot start. He was dominant down the stretch on D.

2) They cut their turnovers 

It was ugly early on. The Lakers coughed it up 10 times in the opening period and 15 times in the first half. This has been a problem through the preseason and opening week — a natural side (or front) effect of Westbrook joining the fray.

Refreshingly, they cleaned up the act. Los Angeles turned it over just seven times in the second half. Westbrook had four turnovers all game, reminiscent of his stellar performance against the San Antonio Spurs.

“When we don't turn the ball over, we're a pretty good team,” LeBron said afterward. “When we turn the ball over, it definitely takes the sails out of us and we have to do a better job of that, especially me for sure.”

3) All three stars played well

Friday's win marked the first instance in which all three Lakers superstars played well in the same game.

Davis was quiet early and ended up with just 15 points. Yet, his defense (three blocks) set the tone in the second half as he effectively manned the middle.

Westbrook had his second-best all-around game with the Lakers, shooting 8-fo-13, only attempting one three (he made it), and adding six boards and five dimes. (LeBron, once again, touted Russ's passing skills in the postgame.)

LeBron — despite a 1-of-10 showing from downtown and seven turnovers — was superb. He attacked the rim all night long, dished eight assists, and finished 10-of-22 from the field for 26 points. Plus, that one three he did drain was dazzling.

He commanded the arena.

4) They won the paint battle

The Lakers should be amongst the most dominant paint teams in the NBA. That's evident on paper, and they've stated their intentions to dominate around the rim. Instead, they were outscored inside in each of the first five games.

Not so on Friday against a Cavs group that started three 7-footers (Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen) and brought Kevin Love (I think) off the bench.

Los Angeles won the points-in-paint battle, 60-44. They won the rebounding contest, too. This is a key ingredient in the recipe for success, particularly in the playoffs. Westbrook and LeBron attacking the lane were major factors.

5) They found their swagger

More significant than any number in the box score: the Lakers, to quote LeBron's pal Jay-Z, got their swagger back.

Whether it was Carmelo Anthony lighting up Staples with timely triples (and trust me, Staples gets rowdy for Melo buckets), Avery Bradley (+30!) throwing down put-back dunks (!), Austin Reaves getting dirty, or, of course, Dwight Howard draining 3s — the Lakers finally seemed to find a groove.

The hypeman was Anthony, who dropped 24 points on his second 6-of-8 performance from deep in purple-and-gold.

“He's a sniper,” LeBron said. “What we call in our league, ‘guys that don't need much airspace' to get it off, because it's quick-trigger. It creates so much space for myself, Russ, and AD to work our pick and roll magic.”

“When he just shoot it and his arms don’t come straight down and he just holds his follow-through, we just know it’s going in,” AD said. “It’s just a winning booster for us, just like a dunk.”

The Lakers were able to get out on the break more (thanks to improved ball security), leading to some “Showtime”-esque sequences from LeBron and Russ. In general, things looked…cohesive in the second half.

Following an opening week that saw (in order) a tight debut, a mental meltdown, two nail-biting wins, and an inexcusable collapse, the Lakers, all of a sudden, were loose, united, and hot. They were posing for courtside fans after made shots, dribbling up-court to the music of the Staples Center DJ, and whipping the rock around.

“I feel like the energy is a real thing,” Reaves said. “You can feel it, you can feel negative energy. So when you bring positive energy, I think everybody just feeds off it.”

Schematics will be sorted out. Injured players will be re-incorporated, which will re-jigger rotations, perhaps awkwardly. For one evening, though, the Lakers looked like a team with experience winning basketball games together, and one that knew how to pounce on a lottery team.

“Our guys were just tired of how it looked, and the coaching staff and the head coach was tired of how it looked and we let them know about it,” Vogel said about the team's improved product. “That was a big challenge to be better and was excited to see that they performed the way they did in the fourth.”

It's a long season. In the short term, the most productive thing the Lakers can do is stack wins, find a rhythm, and, like Sidney Deane, look good doing it.

On this night in downtown Los Angeles — the vibes were distinctly positive. That's a win unto itself.