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LeBron James says: There's a new sheriff in town, rips Charles Barkley

Frustrated after a loss to the Mavericks and frequent criticism from Charles Barkley, LeBron James went off on the NBA Hall of Famer on Monday night. 

<p>Jan 27, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is fouled by Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie (8) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. </p>

Maybe it was the loss to the Mavericks, completing a month in which the Cavaliers won seven and lost eight.

Maybe it was the fallout from complaining about the need for the Cavs to add help.

Or maybe, it was just time for LeBron to explode.

Whatever the reason, the Cavaliers superstar erupted into full heat mode after the Cavs loss to the Mavericks on Monday. This time, his target was NBA Hall of Famer, now TNT analyst Charles Barkley.

After hearing LBJ express the need for the Cavaliers to add a playmaker last week, Barkley went off on James during 'Inside the NBA' on Thursday.

Monday night, James returned fire.

Speaking with ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin after the loss in Dallas, LeBron fired off a number of shots in Barkley's direction. Here were some of the highlights:

"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that," James told ESPN. "I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying. All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."

But wait, there's more.

LeBron has also taken criticism from Barkley about his close relationships with fellow NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade. James' response:

"Go watch the '93 Finals when John Paxson hit the shot," James said. "Barkley and Jordan were laughing and joking with each other during one of the games while somebody's shooting a free throw. In the Finals. But, oh, nobody were friends back then."

Oh, and if you want to criticize LeBron for trying to wear multiple hats in the Cavs organization, he has a response for that as well:

"I collect one paycheck from this. There's the owner, Griff's [David Griffin] the GM, I'm the player. Screw Charles Barkley."

And one final parting shot: "I'm tired of biting my tongue," James said. "There's a new sheriff in town."

Everyone got that? If not, LBJ posted the following on Twitter early Tuesday morning:

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