Irony was the first word that popped into my head when I heard Lance Stephenson’s quote and then I read his explanation.

Stephenson is notorious for getting under the skin of his opposition.  A basketball player from Brooklyn, trash talk is an essential part of your arsenal.  His main target lately has been THE King, Lebron James.  That’s not an easy target and in fact may be the hardest armor to crack but Stephenson believes he’s finally done it.

”To me, I think it’s a sign of weakness,” Stephenson said, according to the Associated Press. ”He never used to say anything to me. I always used to be the one who said, `I’m going to do something to get you mad.’ Now he’s trying to do it to me. So I feel like it’s a weakness. I feel like I’m doing something right because I’m getting under his skin, but I’ve definitely got to keep stepping up to the plate and be more aggressive when he does that.”

Stephenson has never shied away from guarding the best player in the NBA and has proven himself to be a vital part of the Indiana Pacers roster, sometimes even meaning more than Paul George.  He does maintain that there’s no hard feelings between he and James, it’s just a part of the game.

“I mean, this is basketball,” Stephenson said, according to the Sun-Sentinel. “I don’t really have no beef with [James]. It’s just basketball. When you’re on the court, it’s no friends. Just basketball. I don’t want to get into the off-the-court stuff. It’s just on-the-court, basketball toughness and never bowing down.”

How does Lebron feel?  “I’m not much of a talker,” James said, according to NBA.com. “I don’t ever start it but I can get involved in it and still keep my head. Winning the game is more important. I understand what the main goal is.”

The Miami Heat leads the series 2-1.  The Indiana Pacers have a chance to tie things up or the Heat can take a demanding 3-1 lead tonight during game four in Miami.

– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)