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As expected, one semi-decent game from the Indiana Pacers leads to the Miami Heat haters to come out in full force via memes that make fun of LeBron James and his tendency to walk away from the final shot and for having a bad game, while Lance Stephenson acting like someone who isn’t a basketball player got plenty of attention as well.
The Pacers kept their hope of somehow surviving the conference finals by beating the Miami Heat, barely, 93-90. LeBron James played only 24 minutes, Chris Andersen didn’t play at all while Ray Allen is also slowed down by injury. Still, if it wasn’t for a scary barrage of 3-point shooting from Paul George, it would have been bye bye Pacers.
Lance Stephenson deserves a special chapter if anyone writes a book about the most difficult NBA players to understand. Not just blowing in the ear of LeBron James or walking into a huddle to listen. Its the flopping and the attempts to pick a fight at every opportunity that take away from the abilities of a good basketball player, instead focusing on the weird part of his game.
The refs helped the Pacers, believe it or not. There’s this old notion about the Miami Heat being backed by the league and the referees, but not for the first time or for the first postseason, the Pacers are getting the benefit of the doubt when it comes to officials making tough and questionable decisions. They’re trying to do their job, but they’re affecting the game in the wrong way.