Lance Stephenson hasn't fully matured as a professional basketball player and that might be a good thing for the Indiana Pacers during these Eastern Conference Finals.
At any moment Stephenson can have flashbacks to his Rucker Park days, his Lincoln High days or his days dominating the opposition in Coney Island.
What we're witnessing in Stephenson is a supreme street-baller. He'll throw quite a few errant passes, hold the ball too long, take outrageous shots at inopportune moments and go one-on-one when a teammate is wide open. And, of course, he will get in the ear of the man guarding him from time to time.
On the playground, Stephenson's game was admired. No one cared how many bad passes he threw as long as they looked good and hit their mark once in awhile? And when his acrobatic moves led to spectacular scores, onlookers flooded Stephenson with praise, high-fives and pats on the back.
It's what made Stephenson a New York City playground legend. It's what he knows; it's what makes him most comfortable on the court. And he's not about to change during this NBA postseason; to do so would take him out of his comfort zone.
After saying James' trash talk was a 'sign of weakness,' the Heat star lit up Stephenson and his teammates for 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Game 4 en route to a 102-90 Miami win.
Several Pacers expressed some disappointment in their 23-year-old teammate and inferred that his comments might have served as bulletin-board material for the Heat. They encouraged him to use better judgment in the future. Stephenson claimed to have learned his lesson.
"It's part of the game," Stephenson said. "I think I said some things that shouldn't have been said.
"It's part of the game, but it's between you and the guy on the floor. And that's where I think I messed up. It was between me and [James], not everybody else.
"I been learning since I got in the league. I came a long way. And I'm gonna keep learning 'til I get to that point where I'm a real pro."
It won't come easy: the transformation from immature, erratic playground legend to full-fledged NBA player won't happen in this postseason. Stephenson's break-the-other-guy-down mentality is what got him to the NBA. During the regular season, Stephenson proved that he could hang with the league's best. He should have been selected to the East Conference All-Star team this year.
After Game 4 James said that Stephenson's in-your-face antics don't bother him, but the Brooklyn native altered his tactics Wednesday night in Game 5. During a lull in action, Stephenson began blowing in James' ear. The Heat star offered a slight grin. But the move served its purpose: getting a rise from some Heat players.
"It's just buffoonery," Heat guard Ray Allen said of Stephenson's ear-blowing tactic. "As players, we're professionals, we come out and do our jobs. He's young. He'll grow up." But with the Pacers surviving Game 5 -- 93-90 -- and trimming their series deficit to 3-2, Stephenson's teammates came to his defense. It didn't hurt that James was saddled with foul trouble: He was limited to just seven points and four assists in 24 minutes. "We know who he is, we trust him, we trust his instincts," Pacers power forward David West said, according to SI.com. "When he's in the fight with us, when he's effective, we're that much better."
West gets it: It's feast or famine with Stephenson. He'll make mistakes, throw a few errant passes, take some ill-advised shots, pout when things aren't going his way and he might not always hustle back on defense. But Stephenson won't back down to anyone on the court and is the one Pacer who isn't afraid to get in James' face and challenge him.
Time will reveal if Stephenson reaches his full potential and becomes a 'real pro.' But for now, he's the Pacers' best response to James on the court.
A little street ball might be the Pacers' best chance to even this series [Friday night on ESPN at 8:30] and force a Game 7 Sunday in Indianapolis.
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