LeBron James is headed for an epic showdown with his long-time friend Chris Paul. The Los Angeles Lakers enter their matchup with the Phoenix Suns as the much lower seed, but nobody sees them as the actual underdog.

The Lakers star was asked about Paul's playoff success, or lack thereof, as reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

“I think you know me by now,” James said. “I think that's not in my [character] traits. I don't really talk about my accolades, or what I've been able to do. And our friendship is beyond that. So I'm not one of those guys to talk about what I have. I think that's very shallow. That's beneath me, personally. So I don't get involved in that.”

The casual observer would pencil in the Lakers as easy winners in this series over the Suns. After all, LeBron James has made quick work of his first-round matchups throughout his 18-year NBA career and 15 trips to the NBA Playoffs.

But that would be a huge discredit of a Suns team that Chris Paul as helped turn into a true title contender. Phoenix has the second-best record in the entire NBA and has come up big during marquee matchups throughout the season. That includes winning two of three matchups against the Lakers during the regular season.

LeBron James knows better than to overlook this matchup, especially he's on unfamiliar ground as the lower seed in the early round of contention. The Lakers and Suns kick off their series with Game One on Sunday.