Cleveland's LeBron James, left, defends Washington's DeShawn Stevenson in this file photo from Feb. 22. Cleveland and Washington meet for the third straight year in the playoffs today, and they've been yapping at each other for weeks.

Cleveland ? Weeks of back-and-forth yapping, some of it very personal, between Cleveland star LeBron James and Washington guard DeShawn Stevenson, has given the Cavs-Wizards best-of-seven series a serious buzz.

But as Cavaliers forward Joe Smith warned, the war of words is over.

“Once you cross those lines,” he said Friday, “your mouth can’t get you out of trouble.”

There is history here, and maybe even hatred between the teams. This is the third straight year the Cavs and Wizards have met in the postseason, and Act III, which begins with Game 1 at 11:30 a.m. today in Cleveland, promises to be their most dramatic matchup yet.

Quick rewind: After James missed a potential game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds in a loss at Washington on March 13, Stevenson, who was in James’ face the whole night, called the All-Star forward “overrated.”

Not long after, James discounted Stevenson’s comments, saying that dignifying them would be like rap mogul Jay-Z worrying about something muttered by Soulja Boy, one of hip hop’s one-hit wonders.

James, who won this season’s scoring title, isn’t sure what to make of what Stevenson said or why he seemed so vindictive.

“I never said anything personal about him or anything about his family that would tick somebody off like that,” James said. “I don’t know what was said to him. I have never said anything personal about anybody. I don’t know what people go through outside the game. If I said something about his basketball game? Then maybe. But about him personally? I don’t go that far.”

Stevenson may have been trying to motivate himself or his teammates, who have been eliminated by the Cavaliers the past two years. But he may have also energized James, who hasn’t practiced in two weeks because of a tight back.

Either way, Stevenson has made himself a marked man.

“Hopefully I am,” said Stevenson, who has invited Soulja Boy to attend games in Washington. “I should be. We’ve got to win the series. I feel that it’s our time and somebody has to step up.”

Stevenson will draw the defensive assignment on James, who averaged 27.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists against Washington in last year’s playoffs. He was asked what it will take to get him ready for this year’s meeting.

“Just put on highlights of LeBron,” he said.