Tim Duncan had something he wanted to say to James.

After San Antonio completed its swift four-game sweep in the finals, the Spurs’ big man approached James in a crowded corridor inside Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. As the two superstars embraced, Duncan told James, “’the league will be yours soon.”

James took the words to heart.

Following a brief break from hoops, he went right back to the gym, spending hours working on his jumper, post-up game and defense — an area where he has made the biggest improvement. James even cut short a family vacation by a few days just so he could get back to work with Cavaliers assistant Chris Jent, who has helped him improve his outside shooting.

Those nearest James said tasting the finals only made him hungrier.

“It’s one thing to see photos of the pyramids in Egypt and another thing to visit them,” said Maverick Carter, James’ close friend and business partner. “He doesn’t want to go once. We wants to be there every year. He wants to win multiple championships.”

Until recently, James had said little about the affect of being dominated by the Spurs.

“It made me a better player,” he said. “If we would have won the finals last year or played in a long series, I don’t think I would have worked out as hard as I did. I probably would have thought I was on top of the world. It’s made me a better player. I went into the gym two and three times a day.

“I don’t like to lose, but losing in the finals made me the player I am this season.”

And what a season it has been in Cleveland.

Since training camp, when forwards Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao held out in contract disputes, the Cavaliers have been in constant transition. Brown has been unable to settle on a rotation because of an assortment of injuries.

At the Feb. 21 trading deadline, general manager Danny Ferry dealt two starters — Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden — and half of his active roster to acquire Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Ben Wallace.

Perhaps more than any single argument, the six-players-for-four deal best supports James’ MVP case. He has maintained his excellence despite playing with a revamped supporting cast. It would be hard to imagine Bryant thriving as well if the Los Angeles Lakers hadn’t traded for Pau Gasol or retooled so dramatically.

And as brilliant as Paul has been with the Hornets, the point guard has All-Star forward David West and Peja Stojakovic at his disposal, two players arguably better than anyone in Cleveland’s lineup not named James.

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James’ value to the Cavaliers is never more evident than when he’s not playing or at 100 percent. He has missed six games with injuries, and Cleveland is 0-6 without him.

“He does more for his team than maybe anybody,” Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. “He has probably the greatest impact as far as taking a player off of his team.”

Yet despite his once-in-a-generation stats, James, who has been dealing with back spasms of late, appears to be running a distant third in the MVP race behind Paul and Bryant, who has never won the award and may get the nod from voters who have denied him for 12 years.

“If Kobe hasn’t won it,” James said. “I got no chance.”

Focus is on the team
Stretched out in his trailer before filming a commercial a few weeks back, James was at ease.

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The Cavaliers had already locked up a playoff spot for the third straight year, and their leader wasn’t worried about winning any trophy other than the big one he and his teammates sniffed last spring. He understands the MVP may have to wait, and that’s OK.

“With the injuries and the trade and the late start with some of the guys being out, I’ve just tried to get my team to keep its focus and stay above water,” he said. “I just try to be my team’s MVP. If it’s not the MVP of the league, I just try to be the Cleveland Cavaliers’ MVP every night I go out there.”

For the commercial, which will debut during the playoffs, James plays a well-dressed lawyer trying to win an injury case. If he had taken a different career path, Cleveland’s biggest sports star feels he could have been formidable counselor.

“I can be very intimidating when I put my game face on,” he said. “But as far as persuading a jury, that’s difficult.”

And it might be too late for James to convince MVP voters of his case. But how would he begin his opening argument?

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” he said, cracking up. “Please find it in your heart to give me your vote.”

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