One thing that's easy to forget - especially when the season turns the corner into the playoffs - is that basketball is just a game, and that some of the men playing it - while making millions of dollars - are young men.

If you've watched a single game this season, you know that these young Cavaliers truly enjoy hanging out with one another. And take it from a member of the organization and the media - it's no act.

They practice hard. They play hard. They wouldn't have 70 wins under their belt if they didn't.

But when practice ends at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, the Cavaliers splinter off into groups. Andy and Big Z always work together with assistant Melvin Hunt. Ben Wallace works on his shot with Coach Kuester. The young bangers like J.J. Hickson, Darnell Jackson and Jawad Williams usually work with Lorenzen Wright.

And then there's the group that plays a post-practice game called "Rain Man", one that entertains the collective media on a daily basis. (And I mean that last part literally. This group plays the "Rain Man" game every day - without fail.)

The group consists of mostly guards and wing players: LeBron James, Daniel Gibson, Tarence Kinsey, Mo Williams, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. I'll let T.K. explain it, but you can click on the video link (below) to get a glimpse for yourself.

"I think (Rain Man) probably started before I got here," said Kinsey. "Or maybe it started this year, I'm not sure. But you just have to shoot the ball as high as you can - it's basically a teardrop. If you're the last person left, you keep shooting until you make one. Yesterday, Wally got up to, like, 34 (misses).

"Every shot you miss after everyone's made the shot is a push-up. Delonte cheats the rule a little bit. He don't do the push-ups. He does the one-armed, 'Rocky' push-ups to make us laugh. But it's not really a push-up."

Led by LeBron - naturally - the players who've made their shot take great delight in counting the misses (and push-ups) that await the last man shooting. And on Tuesday, when Wally finally ended the torment and hit the deck, his teammates laid on the gym floor to make sure he did them all.

LeBron claims that he is the originator of the game. "Yeah, I will have to say that I am," smiled the Chosen One. "I've lost one time, too. And I was upset about it."

Basketball players aren't as wedded to routine and superstition like baseball players. But they still have their bizarre traditions - most of them involving trick shots - or the Rain Man game - to make the long NBA season a little more interesting.

"We're kind of routine-type guys, but at the same time, you have to have fun with it," added Kinsey. "When we're having our shooting competition, you don't want to lose - so you're still using your same rotation, same form, and getting the exercise. You're just having more fun with it."

So who's the king of the Rain Man game?

Guess.

"Who's the luckiest?" clarified Kinsey. "Probably LeBron. I don't think you can really be good at that, because it's an unorthodox shot. But, yeah, probably LeBron."

LeBron might be the top dog in that particular shooting game. And he's prone to full-court heaves - air-mailing the rock the way normal humans like you and I throw a softball. But at the moment, Kinsey has the trick shot that everyone, including No. 23, covets.

The shot is difficult to describe, but it involves throwing the ball - at close range - against a wall facing the basket. The ball comes off the wall at a strange trajectory and, if you're doing it right, snaps the twine for two points. (Or more, if you're counting style points.)

"That's my signature shot - I got that one down," beamed the proud former Gamecock. "That's the one everybody wants to get right now. First it was the halfcourt, underhand shot. And LeBron mastered that one. So we came up with something clever. And he hasn't made that one yet."

Following Tuesday's practice, Mo Williams supposedly drained TK's trick shot. (Kinsey hasn't come up with a name for it yet; but he's working on it.) Channel 19 claims to have it on video tape, but LeBron - being the uber-competitive sort that he is - is still skeptical.

"If I didn't see it, he didn't make it," quipped the MVP candidate.

Eventually, LeBron will see Mo Williams sink the shot. That's because these guys will keep trying until they succeed.

The same competitive fire that has led the Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA is the same one that drives them to beat each other in silly shooting games. It also keeps them on the practice court for hours after every workout - continuing to grow together as a cohesive unit.

That's got to be a good thing. And it's really fun to watch.