CLEVELAND -- A year ago this week, there was a big game in San Antonio. The Cleveland Cavaliers were riding an eight-game win streak into San Antonio, where the Spurs had won 10 in a row and were unbeaten on their home floor for the season.

Two hours before the game with the sound systems and scoreboard being checked, LeBron James and Tim Duncan worked silently at opposite ends of the floor. James, headphones in his ears, worked up a sweat while polishing some post moves. Duncan, eyes in that famous thousand-yard stare, worked on bank shots and free throws.

They didn't speak to each other, they may not have even looked at each other -- both just silently went about their business. The two have six MVPs, six Finals MVPs and eight championships between them. They earned these awards in part because of this independent, lonely work. They were about to play against each other for the 40th and final time. The Spurs wound up winning that final encounter by four points.

Duncan is gone now, his focus on paintball and classic cars and his number already in the rafters in San Antonio. James is still grinding way, sometimes finding himself working out on the arena floors with no other player in sight. For the first time in his career, James will play a Spurs team without Duncan on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC). But he still chases Duncan's spirit.

James plays games when discussing the concept of a rival. He recently denied he was ever in a rivalry with the Spurs, even though he played against them in three Finals. It's a tiresome conversation, but it also overshadows a connection James and Duncan share that should be worthy of more attention.

Duncan was -- to his foes -- one of the most maddeningly consistent players in NBA history, his greatness flowing year after year until it almost became mundane. His ceaseless production was so impressive that it easily became overlooked. Duncan didn't win an MVP after his sixth season despite remaining one of the game's most dependable stars late into his career.

James has found himself following the same path, season after season, assembling relentlessly impressive numbers to the point where they have a numbing affect. This year, James probably will go a fourth consecutive season without winning the MVP, even though some of his numbers are better than they've ever been.

"You look at those two guys, and their work ethic is supreme," said Cavs forward Richard Jefferson, one of just four players to play with both Duncan and James. "When you get to know them, you understand that for them, this is all-consuming. It is all about winning basketball games. You may think they have other things going in their life off the floor, endorsements or whatever, but there's nothing more important to them than winning basketball games."

Duncan missed more than 10 games in a season just four times in his career; he averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds or more in his first 13 seasons. He won at least 50 games in all 19 seasons except the lockout season in 1998-99, when his team won the title and was on pace for 61 wins. He won 60 games five other times. In all, he played in six Finals. At one point, he made 12 straight All-Star games and 15 All-NBA teams.

James has missed more than 10 games just once in his 14 seasons and averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists every year. He has won 50 or more games nine times and 60 or more three times. At the midpoint of this season, his Cavs are on pace for his fourth 60-win season. He has been in seven Finals in the past nine years. He just made his 13th consecutive All-Star Game, and this season, he's attempting to make the All-NBA team for the 13th time.

That type of team and individual success plus health is almost unprecedented. Only four other players in history played at least 50 games and averaged at least 18 points in their first 12 seasons like Duncan and James. And even those Hall of Famers -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon -- had some seasons when their teams had losing records or were around .500.

Even Michael Jordan got tired of it after a while.

"I take pride in having a growth mindset and trying to improve even in the later stages of my career," James said. "Being consistent for my teammates every night means something to me. I take pride in keeping my body fresh, keeping my mind fresh, keeping my game polished, working on my craft and going out and producing."

So did Duncan, who dealt with knee injuries in his career that required constant monitoring but never derailed him. It was Duncan, under the guidance of Gregg Popovich, who pioneered the concept of the healthy scratch to attempt to save wear and tear. James has been following the same principles for the past few seasons, taking select games off to rest.

The details of their journeys have been different. Duncan played for one head coach and one team, though he famously almost left the Spurs to be part of an attempt to assemble a superteam in Orlando in 2000. Duncan played 14,000 or more minutes with three teammates: Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen.

James famously played on two teams, leaving for a superteam in Miami 10 years after Duncan was tempted. The most minutes James has played with a teammate is 13,000 with Zyrdunas Ilgauskas. James has played for six head coaches in 14 years.

But James and Duncan are different in more ways than they're alike, be it personalities, positions or their backgrounds. But their constant excellence is something they share with almost no one, and now it's just James holding the torch.

"Right now, all I can think about is the process," James said. "But at the end of my career, that's all going to mean something to me."