The Cavaliers- pacers series can be said to be quite unexpected, and few people before the game were optimistic that the Pacers would lead the Cavaliers by a large margin of 2-1. In game four, if it weren't for Korver's two fantastic three-pointers, they could have gone to Cleveland with a 3-1 advantage. In addition to the wonderful performance of the star Oladipo, the other Players of the Pacers also have a good performance. For example, in the third game, Bojan scored 30 points on 7-of-9 three-pointers to help the team win, and in the fourth game, Sabonis Jr. came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points. But what is more noticeable is probably the old face of the Pacers, Lance Stephenson, who may feel that Stephenson's presence is really too strong.
This is really not an accident, Stephenson is definitely an offbeat enough player, especially when it comes to James, he will always rack his brains to bring interference to the other side. In the 2014 playoff series against the Heat, he first blew in James's ear, then let James suffer "crotch humiliation" in the next game, and deliberately reached out and touched James's chin in the following defensive round. In addition, whenever there is physical contact with James, Stephenson will stalk him, or fake a fake fall with exaggerated movements. Even without James, Stephenson himself can complete a "wonderful performance", in the 2014-15 season against the Warriors, Stephenson in order to create a foul on Barnes, raised his hand to give himself a slap after a physical confrontation, and then fell to the ground in pain, and the referee ruled on the spot that Barnes covered the foul. Because of various deeds, fans gave Stephenson the nicknames of "the first in the universe" and "eighteen falls in the clothes".
But Stephenson's performances really helped the team. In the 2013-14 playoffs, although the Pacers lost 2-4 to the Heat, James was limited on the offensive end, averaging only 22.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 6 games, all three of which did not reach the average of his playoff career, which was inseparable from Stephenson's wild entanglement. In the fourth game of the first round of this year, Stephenson frantically interfered with James in the final quarter, first actively fighting for a chance to compete for the ball in a defensive attack, and then spraying garbage at James in the following rounds, and provoking with his body, after James pushed Stephenson away, the latter fell to the ground and let the referee give James a technical foul. Before the finale, he also wrestled Jeff Green while scrambling for the ball, almost causing another conflict. Stephenson said in an interview that he was just enjoying the game and hoping the team would win. Therefore, many fans believe that Stephenson is a player with a real temperament.
So, what level of player is Lance Stephenson?
In the summer of 2010, Stephenson was selected by the Pacers in the second round, and for the first two seasons of his career, Stephenson spent most of his time on the bench, with only one start. Only 54 games were played in two seasons, and he averaged only a dismal 2.8 points per game. By the 2012-13 season, due to Granger's injury, Stephenson managed to secure the starting position and improved rapidly. In the fourth game of the playoffs against the Heat, he scored 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, and the defensive end also caused James a lot of trouble, although the team lost to the Heat in the final seven games, but Stephenson can be said to have impressed the fans.
In 8 years of his career, he played for a total of 6 different teams, which can be said to be quite unsmooth. After four seasons with the Pacers, Stephenson turned down an offer from the team to join the Hornets. But in the Hornets, his form plummeted, most of the time he sat on the bench, and his three-point shooting rate plummeted to 17.1%. Stephenson, who failed to regain form, was traded to the Clippers in 2015, averaging only 4.7 points in 43 games for the Clippers, and before he could play a playoff game for the team, he was hastily traded to the Grizzlies. With the Grizzlies plagued by widespread injuries, Stephenson averaged nearly 27 minutes per game and was able to contribute 14.2 points, the highest in his career, but sadly he was still a substitute. Last season, Stephenson was plagued by injuries and played just 18 games, briefly playing for the Pelicans and Timberwolves before returning to his old club, the Pacers.
Stephenson is physically strong, with excellent ball-holding speed and easy counter-attacking in the conversion of attacks. At the same time, Stephenson's defense is also very prominent, and it is not difficult to see from the game against James that his one-and-one ability is really good. And he's also well-rounded, and in the 2013-14 season, Stephenson of the Pacers also won five triple-doubles, becoming the triple-double king of that season - sigh, the triple-double was still quite valuable that year.
However, Stephenson's shortcomings are also many, his outside feel is very unstable, the career three-point shooting rate is only 30.3%, this season his offensive efficiency has fallen to -0.3, the offensive efficiency has always been low, but he likes to hold the ball for a long time, which also brings many mistakes. Many fans think that Stephenson is a double-edged sword, taking the Pacers and Cavaliers playoffs g4 this season, Stephenson's active scramble to bring a lot of ball rights to the team is not false, but he will also make low-level walking mistakes when receiving the serve, giving up valuable balls. So you'll never guess whether Stephenson's next performance will be a top five or five.
In any case, Stephenson, who has a very high sense of existence, has really brought us a lot of joy and wonderful games. Some people like his temperament and think it can drive the emotions of teammates and home fans, but some people think that Lance is just a "clown", especially when facing James, after all, even James said: "What is wrong with you?" "It can only be said that in the long river of NBA history, there are many players with unique personalities, and Lance Stephenson is definitely one of them.