LeBron James admitted on Thursday that the Cavaliers hated the Wizards in the midst of their rivalry in recent seasons.

"We really hated them," James said. "It was easy to dial in against them."

James added that they don't feel the same hatred towards the Pistons, their first round opponent this time around.

"It's not that personal with Detroit," said James. "We never really had any big confrontations with Detroit. It's a good rivalry with them. We like playing against them. We take the challenge and they do, too."