LeBron James openly laughed, then scored easily after a long-time foe tried to bully him before a play

• Suns forward Jae Crowder tried bodying up on LeBron James on an in-bounds play.
• James laughed, then spun around Crowder for a basket, to the delight of his teammates.
• James and Crowder have met in the postseason three times, and James has won each series.

Give Jae Crowder credit: no how many times he runs into LeBron James, he keeps fighting.

Unfortunately, for Crowder, James on Thursday once again got the better of their matchup, making Crowder look foolish in the process.

In the third quarter of Game 3 between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, Crowder tried to play James physically on an in-bounds play. The two players jostled for position, the matchup getting more physical than most do on such plays.

Instead of turning heated, however, cameras caught James laughing as Crowder bodied him.

The Lakers cleared the side of the floor for James to go 1-on-1 with Crowder - and James spun past him, then finished a reverse layup as the Lakers bench went nuts.

The entire Lakers bench was up, ready for the matchup, with center Andre Drummond even miming the play.

The sports world was aghast over the blatant disrespect.

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James and Crowder aren't exactly rivals, but they have a long history.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers ran into Crowder when he was with the Boston Celtics twice from 2015-2017. Crowder often defended James in those series. James and the Cavs won both series.

Crowder briefly played with James and the Cavs in 2017-18 after he was traded to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving deal. However, that Cavs team was rife with chemistry issues, and Crowder was traded to the Utah Jazz midway through the season.

James and Crowder ran into each other again last season, when Crowder and the Heat played James and the Lakers in the Finals. The Lakers won in six games.

Now, Crowder and the Suns finished with the second best record in the NBA. And their reward: a first-round matchup with a healthy Lakers team.

The Lakers lead the series 2-1.