James vs. Stephenson a playoff sideshow
As NBA beefs go, it doesn’t get any better than LeBron James vs. Lance Stephenson.
On one side, you have the game’s greatest player, a 6-8, 250-pound force who was deemed “The Chosen One” during his celebrated high school days and is now in search of his fourth championship and his eighth consecutive Finals appearance. On the other, you have the game’s most infamous irritant, a 6-6, 230-pounder who was taken in the second round in 2010 and has played for six teams en route to this reunion matchup between his Pacers and James’ Cavaliers in the first round.
As we saw Sunday, when the Pacers’ Game 1 win (98-80) included the latest series of Stephenson slaps, stare-downs and silliness that included Stephenson head-butting the basket stanchion after a dunk, this series should serve as the latest chapter in this back and forth.
Their rivalry is a contrast in stories and styles — James intensely focused on domination; Stephenson always finding a way to cause frustration, flop or earn a flagrant. And it just might be the most entertaining part of the playoffs. Cue the eye roll from James, who surely wishes this subplot would stay out of the spotlight.
When it comes to the tale of the tape, James has the upper hand in every regard, including a series sweep of the Pacers last season. He has never lost to a Stephenson team in the playoffs, though the 2013 conference finals went seven games. He has a 13-7 record in their 20 postseason face-offs, according to Basketball-Reference. com, averaging 27.4 points
(52.8% shooting), 7.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds. Stephenson has averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
By most accounts, the first James-Stephenson incident took place during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between Indiana and Miami in
2012. Stephenson wasn’t even a rotation player at the time, logging seven minutes over the course of the Heat’s six-game series win. But when James missed a free throw late in the third quarter of a Pacers blowout win, Stephenson was caught on camera giving him the universal sign for choking from his front-row seat. As then-Pacers star Danny Granger revealed in a SiriusXM radio interview, Heat veterans Juwan Howard, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen tried unsuccessfully to enter the Indiana locker room with Stephenson in their sights.
The list of dust-ups has grown from there.
No series was more memorable than the 2014 Eastern Conference finals, which included Stephenson blowing in James’ ear and sneaking into the Heat’s huddle in Game 5. In Game 6, he opted for another under-the-skin tactic when he touched James’ mouth during a break in play.
The tension and Stephenson’s antics had been there for years, as the Heat eliminated the Pacers in three consecutive postseasons. They picked up where they left off this season, with Stephenson being accused of punching James below the belt during a Nov. 1 game in Cleveland (he was given a flagrant). While Stephenson had 12 points and five rebounds in 17 minutes during Game 1, his impact was likely a sign there’s more to come.