LeBron James has described Joakim Noah as a player that the center's opponents "hate" to come up against ahead of the first game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls in the NBA playoffs.

The teams face each other in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, with the first game taking place at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena tomorrow.

The four-time league MVP told ESPN: "A guy that you hate to compete against but if he's you're teammate, you probably, you love him. I'm guessing that's what it is. But for us, we'll be ready for the challenge.

"For us, it's not just Joakim, but he's one of their glue guys. He plays well, they play well, his energy, his effort, you love to watch him. As a competitor, you hate him, but it's all for the love of the game."

The Cavaliers won all three of their regular season games against the Bulls this season.