Diehard basketball junkies would have paid big money for a glimpse of the Mavericks' basketball court Thursday morning. For about 15 minutes, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James played one on one.

Two of the best wings in the game play together on the same team, but it's a rare thing for Wade and James to go up against each other after a practice or shootaround. It has happened only a handful of times and never with reporters present. Thursday morning offered the exception.

"We don't play until 8:30 [Central time], so we wanted to get a little work in," Wade said. "This time of the season it won't be too often, so the only time it would be is in shootarounds when we want to get better."

The Heat and Mavericks tipped off at about 9:50 p.m. on the East Coast. The late tip gave Wade and James time to rest after their work together. The one-on-one drill wasn't as competitive as a game of 21, but the superstars didn't back down from one another either.

"It's invaluable because they help teach each other, but also no one else physically can help the other guy improve the way that they can," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "What you love about it as a coach is their decisions. They're working on fundamentals and things they can improve on and pushing themselves to improve.

"That's the part of the game that the average fan doesn't get to see — how driven they are and how thirsty they are to improve."

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