Lance Stephenson: The NBA's Newest Ron Artest

Indiana Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson had a solid night according to the box score: 12 points, five assists and five rebounds in the Pacers’ 93-90 win over Miami in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, it was Stephenson’s intangibles that really allowed the Pacers to extend the series against the defending world champions.

Not surprisingly, Lance Stephenson does not have the same intangibles that most players pride themselves on like heart, intensity and leadership. For Lance, the word “intangibles” means sneaking into the other team’s huddle, blowing into the ear of your opponent and flopping every time LeBron comes near him.   

Basically, Lance Stephenson has become the NBA’s newest version of Ron Artest; the type of player who is willing to do everything and anything to get inside his opponent’s head.  

Of course, it definitely helped that Stephenson’s teammate Paul George had arguably his best game as a professional with 37 points and six steals.

But the main reason why the Pacers were able to win this do-or-die game is that LeBron James got into early foul trouble because Stephenson was shadowing him all game long. LeBron finished with seven points in 24 total minutes of play; that is literally half of the game.

LeBron has never played fewer minutes in a playoff game than he did on Wednesday night.

He has also never scored fewer points – just seven, on 2-of-10 shooting.

LeBron got called for his fourth foul just 31 seconds into the third quarter.

The Heat led, 45-37, at that point of the game.

By quarter’s end, it was 64-57 Indiana.

Stephenson is a fine example of a defensive stopper who can take control of a game by stopping the best player in the world in LeBron James.

LeBron stated after game 5 that he didn’t pay much attention to any of the extra-curricular activities that go on during the course of the game. Though, I find it hard to believe that LeBron has such zen-like focus that he can completely ignore a grown man blowing into his earhole.

Whether LeBron is actually telling the truth or not is impossible to know. But I watched the moment with my very own eyes, and it was apparent that LeBron was taken out of his focus.

If the Pacers are going to win this series and go to the NBA Finals, Lance Stephenson is going to have to take LeBron James out of his game… literally.

You can’t expect LeBron to get into early foul trouble in game six, actually you can pretty much guarantee that he won’t. We are talking about a player who once went five consecutive games without drawing a single foul.