By RUSS BENGTSON
Lebron's Cavs stand 14-12, 5th place in the Eastern Conference and 2nd place in the Central Division. Uncharted territory. His averages of 28.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7 assists and 2.8 steals are all substantial improvements on the Rookie of The Year numbers he posted last season, as is his 48 percent from the field. An All-Star starting spot is all but assured. But, practice. We’re talking about practice. “I like practice,” LeBron says, turning down the TV. “Practice makes perfect, and if you can get guys around you that are gonna practice perfect with you, it can help your team translate that into game situations.”
That team around him now is mostly new. When Carlos Boozer chose to take his Mailman-in-training game to Utah for what amounted to a $28 million bonus, the Cavs had to scramble to reload. They brought in young bigs Drew Gooden and Robert Traylor to make up the rebounding difference, and Finals-hardened vets like Scott Williams, Eric Snow and Lucious Harris to provide some much-needed playoff experience. A couple months in, it’s easy to tell who’s influenced whom more. “He has a knack to take over practice,” Traylor says of LeBron, “and do some things that—” Tractor pauses, at a rare loss for words “—you don’t expect guys to do. I’ve played with a lot of good players, and I’d say right now he’s probably by far the best.” But the respect has gone both ways. “I think Scott, Lucious, Eric Snow, Tractor Traylor, really brought the key components we need to our team to really help me elevate my game to a new high,” LeBron says. “Those guys come to practice every day and work hard. And that’s key, because I’m a practice player. I translate practice to the game. I don’t just come to the game and play, I love practicin’. Then you see guys working hard like that, it’s just helpful.”
So yeah, he’s not Allen Iverson. Maybe being 10 years younger (and tight-end big) means he can take more of a pounding on an off-day and still go 48 the next night—the 26 points he scored four days after receiving a broken cheekbone courtesy of that Mutombo elbow should speak volumes to that. But the differences get deeper. Ask Snow, who played with AI for years: “AI’s more of a scorer, and he’s gonna score, he’s gonna give it to you every night from a scoring aspect. Meaning he’s a 30-point threat every night, where I don’t think that’s LeBron’s best part of his game. I think he’s the best when he’s giving you 20 numbers and 7 assists, and 7-8 rebounds, just being a li’l more well-rounded.”
It's late in the game, and Tim Duncan's team has the ball. For as long as the basketball public has been watching, that means Timmy gets the ball. Simple, huh? About as simple as deciphering his story, right? Boring guy, boring game; next subject. Not quite. Yes, endgame possessions of a Tim Duncan team still go to Tim Duncan. But where he is when he gets that ball has changed, just like the player has changed.
At Wake Forest, it was the low blocks. TD, using his 6-11, 260-pound frame, which was bigger (and by his senior year, older) than pretty much any decent opponent's, would stick his butt into the defender, raise his right arm firmly as if auditioning for a photo shoot in the low-post textbook, then get the ball and go to work. His strength, touch and knowledge of how to operate were usually too much for any one, two or even three men to stop, and he'd drop-step or power up to get the bucket. As you may remember, Duncan was essentially unstoppable by the end of his time at Wake, picking up the National Player of the Year award after averaging 21 ppg on 61 percent shooting, along with 3.3 blocks and a nation-leading 14.7 rebounds. "His game," said then-Wake coach Dave Odom, "is on a different level than anyone else's."
Duncan's San Antonio Spurs are holding a 23-5 record which is 2nd best in the Western Conference. Remarkable improvements to an already dominant game, and he makes it sound simple. "I think that's what makes players what they are, a willingness to push themselves and a feeling, every night, that you have to prove what you can do," Duncan adds. "I want it for myself," Duncan says, not understanding how there could be confusion on this matter. "I'm a very competitive person and I don't like feeling bad on the court. I don't like feeling like there's something I can't do, and I don't like feeling uncomfortable. So, I like to practice, watch a lot of video and make sure I get my repetitions in so when I get in situations on the court I never feel bad or look stupid."
Both of these superstars love to practice their game and they love to make their teammates better. If you want to be successful in basketball, look to these guys to teach you everything you need. One is very young and is playing like a NBA-Vet, while the other one has already won 2 championships and is on the verge of another one.
Thank you CK for making the mag for me 
I'm now just 3 games away from finishing December so expect those 3 games up VERY soon. 
You will make real life's trades (Mobley & Bradley X Christie, Nets-Raptors trade, and others)?
