Lance Stephenson continues to find ways to bother LeBron James

* Recap: Pacers 97, Cavaliers 95

The Cleveland Cavaliers went into Indiana on Saturday looking to find a cure for their ailing defense amid a losing streak and what they found instead was Lance Stephenson.

Yes, LeBron James’ personal gnat was at it again, prodding, teasing and playing his air guitar after a few baskets. It’s not that Stephenson was the clear catalyst in the Pacers’ victory, which was a team effort, but Lance being Lance, he had his moments.

pic.twitter.com/CRFlHDCmAd

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 13, 2018

He guarded LeBron most of the night and prevented LeBron from going nuts, which is what many expected when the Cavs limped into town after getting blasted by the Raptors (without Kyle Lowry). Not only did LeBron fail to have a massive night, but Stephenson scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and took (earned?) a few shoves from LeBron. Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis News was there to observe:

Good ol’ Lance. Beautiful Lance. Pony-riding, banjo-strumming Lance.

LeBron-ruining Lance.

It doesn’t always happen this way. Lance Stephenson always tries to get into LeBron James’ head, but LeBron often responds by asserting himself as the best player in the world, and doing it at the Pacers’ expense. The most famous example was the 2014 NBA playoffs between the Pacers and LeBron’s Miami Heat, when Lance went to the media before Game 4 and said LeBron’s trash-talking was a sign of weakness. LeBron responded with 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Lance responded by getting into early foul trouble, and the Heat blew out the Pacers that night.

Then again, Lance went onto the court for Game 5 and blew into LeBron’s ear. And LeBron responded by scoring seven points in a Heat loss.

Lance added to his anti-LeBron repertoire on Friday night, adding a new twist. And that twist is called, um …

It’s called …

How do you spell noogie? Or is it nougie?

LeBron needed 25 shots to score 27 points and the reeling Cavs have lost eight of nine on the road. But back to Lance — he has been a plus here in his second stint with the Pacers.

Former president Larry Bird was big on Stephenson; Bird thought Stephenson had more fire than his teammates and was surprised when Stephenson rejected Indiana’s contract extension offer three years ago to sign with the Hornets (big mistake).

After that experiment died, and a subsequent one with the Clippers, Stephenson came back to Indiana because he had few other options. He was overweight and coming off a few poor seasons.

But he’s averaging nine points and six rebounds in a bench role, and even more important, isn’t being a distraction as he often was during his first go-round.

At least not to his teammates. LeBron is a different matter.

* * *