Indiana Pacers‘ guard Lance Stephenson sheds light on one of the most pressing topics in NBA history.
LeBron James has been tormenting NBA defenders since he was 19, and stopping him entirely is damn-near impossible. With — dare I say it — Jordan-esque scoring ability, Magic-level passing and an IQ that makes him basketball’s Stephen Hawking, LeBron is the complete package.
Oh, and he’s built like a linebacker.
With that said, there are a handful of guys who can make his life trouble. Kawhi Leonard comes to mind immediately, as does Andre Iguodala. However, it’s Stephenson who provides valuable insight on stopping James (via USA Today):
“You just gotta tame him,” Stephenson said. “He’s playing so well right now. His jump shot has really improved. Just gotta get into him, make him pass the ball. Make his teammates make decisions.”
“Tame” might not have been the right word, but the foundation is there. James’ teammates, outside of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, are far from threatening unless LeBron is creating for them. Forcing him to defer to Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson or Iman Shumpert gives Indiana the best chance to win, and they suit up for Game 3 at home on Thursday night.
Offensively, James is the best he’s been since his last year with the Miami Heat. He’s shooting 54.8 percent overall and 36.3 percent from three while also putting up career-highs in assists (8.7) and rebounds (8.6).
LeBron’s continued that trend over the first two games against the Pacers. He dropped 32 points, 13 assists and six rebounds in the series opener, and followed that up 25 points, 10 boards and seven dimes.
If Lance or Paul George are unable to slow James down with their play, they can always just exhale really hard in his direction and hope that works.
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