Lue: LeBron doesn't get calls because 'He's the Shaq of guards and forwards'

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue believes there's a reason LeBron James doesn't draw more fouls - He's simply too strong.

"He's the Shaq of guards and forwards," Lue said Sunday, referencing former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Shaquille O'Neal. "He's so strong and so physical, when he goes to the basket, guys are bouncing off of him. Those are still fouls, but he doesn't get that call because he's so big and so strong and so physical," said Lue, as reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Lue's comments come in the wake of James saying Sunday that he was unsurprised by the fact that Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond was not punished by the league for what appeared to be an elbow to LeBron's neck during Game 3 of their first-round series.

"We used to tease Shaq all the time about soft fouls," Lue said of his former teammate. "He said: 'Listen, if I pinch you, it feels the same way when you pinch me. No matter how big I am, it feels the same.' I never thought about it like that. That's kind of how LeBron feels."

Lue added that he admires the way James, who is averaging a career-low four free throw attempts per game through three playoff games, responds to the punishment he takes.

"I love that about him," Lue said. "He gets hit all the time, and he just gets up, shakes it off and moves on to the next play."

James' Cavaliers will look to complete a sweep of the Pistons in Sunday's Game 4.