Cleveland Cavaliers all-star small forward LeBron James and Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson have a lot of history in both the regular season and the playoffs, and their on-court rivalry was put on display once again on Friday night. The Indiana Pacers hosted the 26-15 Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, and despite being down by 22 points at one point, ended up getting stops in the clutch and defeated The Land 97-95.
LeBron James had a solid game finishing with 27 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block in 40 minutes of action.
But he was unable to hit a big shot down the stretch due to the pesky defense of Lance Stephenson, and a lack of luck with the out of bounds line. Stephenson took the matchup with the King in the fourth quarter personally and did his best to guard the greatest player on the planet. After the game, LeBron talked about the technical foul he received due to the pesky Pacers guard.
LeBron spoke on Lance postgame
LeBron James was called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter after Lance Stephenson trash talked, grabbed the King and poked him, and LeBron shoved Lance out of his way. This came back to bite the Cavs and the King, as they fell by just two points. When asked about the play postgame, LeBron James had a simple response:
“No Lance is just a little dirty that’s all.
He a little dirty.”
But LeBron did touch on the trash talking battles they’ve had in the past, and his demeanor to stay out of any unneeded conflict saying, “I mean, we got history, so I already know that. I should’ve known though… I’ve known since school; it’s not the guy who tells the joke that gets caught it’s the guy who laughs.
So they called me on a retaliation.” The King knows he should just stay away from talking back or poking back at Lance, but sometimes in the heat of the moment, his actions get the better of him.
LeBron still has praise for Lance Stephenson
At the halfway point of last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were rooting for a trade at a solid guard or playmaker who can help the Cavaliers become the team they wanted to be.
LeBron demanded a playmaker from the organization, and they eventually got their hands on a man called Deron Williams. But before Deron was signed, they almost made a move to sign Lance Stephenson. LeBron was asked if their past beef would affect anything if Lance was to sign with the team, but LeBron dismissed that question and said he would be happy to have a talent like Stephenson on his team, no matter what has happened in the past.
But it’s obvious that the King still respects the Pacers guard, finishing his statement about him saying:
“But he played well tonight.”
