LeBron says he's ready for challenge from Noah, Bulls

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah got what he wanted: a playoff showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

On Saturday, LeBron James said his undermanned squad is ready for that challenge. 

"It's probably like Perk," James said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin, comparing Noah to teammate Kendrick Perkins strictly in terms of a player who can get under an opposing team's skin. "A guy that you hate to compete against but if he's you're teammate, you probably love him."

When the Cavaliers beat the Bulls a month ago, Noah said he hoped for a rematch in the playoffs. On Friday, the Bull added an old standby, the knock on the city of Cleveland.

"I never thought I'd say this," Noah said. "But I'm very excited to go to Cleveland."

The series tips off Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena. James wasn't getting drawn into any smack talk on Saturday.

"As a competitor, you hate him," James said of Noah. "But it's all for the love of the game."

A bigger concern for James and the Cavs will be how to handle the triumvirate of Bulls big men - Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson - with Kevin Love done for the playoffs. It's understood now that James will probably need to slide up to power forward for stretches, something he's done much less of since leaving the Miami Heat. 

"Turnovers and rebounding," James cited as trouble spots for Cleveland. "Can't turn the ball over against a team like that, get (Derrick Rose) into the open floor, and you have to rebound. They're very good in the interior with Joakim, and Taj, Pau, those guys do a great job of rebounding, so we have to help clean the glass both offensively and defensively."

Starting shooting guard J.R. Smith will also miss the first two games of the series due to a suspension. Still, James clarified that he doesn't think the Cavs are vulnerable. 

"Nah, not vulnerable at all," he said. "You go out and play, try to win, and give it your best shot."