“Draymond Green? Nah, Lance Stephenson is the best ever to defend LeBron James!”: When Pacers’ forward blew into LBJ’s ear and held him to a playoff career-low

When Pacers’ forward Lance Stephenson took on the challenge of guarding LeBron James but added in his own methods

Throughout the history of the league, there have been some players who have been a nightmare for any defender to guard. Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant are all examples of the same. LeBron James falls into the same category as well.

Asserting this dominance on the court, these players are almost literally unstoppable once they find their groove. They’re tough to take on during the regular season, but come playoffs time, they become a whole different beast.

Also Read: “Being called a ‘LeBron James stopper’ was a great challenge”: Lance Stephenson breaks down how he felt about defending the Lakers superstar 

Defending LeBron James, on any given night or day, is not a simple task. Defending a LeBron James who’s 1 win away from his 4th straight NBA Finals? Nah, no one wants to take on that challenge. Except if your name is Lance Stephenson. In 2014, the Miami Heat were back in the ECF and were matched up against the Indiana Pacers. The Heat led the series 3-1, and somehow, the Pacers pulled a miracle to force a Game 6.

Lance Stephenson bothered LeBron James and held him to just 7 points

Going to Indiana for Game 5, many assumed the season was over for the Pacers. However, they didn’t give up, and Paul George put up a game-high 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals. The Pacers won the contest 93-90. However, the credit doesn’t go to Paul George alone.

Lance Stephenson, being the primary defender on LeBron, gave him trouble all night long, holding him to a playoff career-low 7 points on 2-10 shooting. Along with the poor shooting, James was in foul trouble all game, holding him to just 24 minutes of play.

8 YEARS AGO TODAY
Lance Stephenson blows in LeBron’s ear during the Pacers GM5 win vs the Heat.

LeBron had a playoff career-low 7 PTS (2/10 FG) & 4 AST. pic.twitter.com/mrP9AHvqNy

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 28, 2022

Also Read: “I didn’t have it prepared!”: Lance Stephenson insists that blowing LeBron James’ ear wasn’t something he’d planned ahead of Pacers vs Heat in the playoffs

In all fairness, we don’t know if Lance’s blow in the ear got in James’ head, or whether it was just a historically terrible night for him. Either way, Stephenson did his job, and made sure the Pacers lived to fight another night.