MIAMI The nameplate above Lance Stephenson s locker was covered with white tape and replaced with a new last name hand written in magic marker.
GUMP.
That would be Forrest Gump of course the fictional movie character who was famous for saying that life is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're going to get.
That philosophy also applies to Stephenson the highly unpredictable and boundlessly entertaining Indiana Pacers guard from Brooklyn s Lincoln High School.
Stephenson is one of the breakout stars of the NBA playoffs an athletic and physical 6 5 wing player who rebounds as well as any guard and is at his best when he is attacking the basket. Yes you could say Run Lance run. His playing style and personality make him a constant source of ribbing among his teammates and now Stephenson has become a source of great distress for LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
He played really well James said following Indiana s dramatic Game 4 victory Tuesday night. But if you re sitting here and talking about an individual one on one matchup between me and Lance Stephenson... I m not going to harp on that.
For the second consecutive year the Heat is tied 2 2 in the Eastern Conference finals and hosting Game 5 Thursday night. Last season Boston won in Miami and the Heat needed an epic performance from James in Game 6 to keep its season alive. James is capable of doing that again but the Heat doesn't want to tempt fate especially with the Pacers 7 1 record in home playoff games and believing that they are the better more balanced team.
Indiana has an advantage in the paint with center Roy Hibbert. In Game 4 small forward Paul George didn t shoot well (4 for 10 12 points) but still contributed with his defense and rebounding. And then there was Stephenson the player Miami s Shane Battier calls Indiana s wild card.
STEVEN C. MITCHELL/EPA Stephenson is making an impact on the offensive end as well.When he s bad we typically struggle Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. But when he s good we re pretty darn good. That s the simplest way to put it. And it s very accurate. He s the barometer.
The same was often said about the Knicks J.R. Smith who imploded in the playoffs saw his team follow suit.
Stephenson though has a knack for being involved in crucial game changing plays.
When the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the second round Stephenson made several pivotal plays in the last five minutes of Game 6. Against Miami he had a similar impact in Game 4 including a game tying jumper with 3 30 to go and a runner with 61 seconds left after James three pointer had cut Indiana s lead to 94 92. Five seconds later James set an illegal screen on Stephenson and fouled out for just the second time in 128 career playoff games.
RELATED PACERS TIE LEBRON AND HEAT UP IN KNOTS SERIES NOW 2 2
Stephenson survived because he refused to concede anything to the game s best player after having volunteered to guard James when George got into early foul trouble. Vogel obliged and the matchup was compelling and somewhat comical.
No comments:
Post a Comment