Lance Stephenson got called for one of the NBA’s most confusing technicals

Lance Stephenson picked up a technical foul early into Game 7 of Cavaliers vs. Pacers on Sunday, but this call left many scratching their heads.

Stephenson fouled LeBron James on a drive to the rim, then continued defending him all the way to the basket. He inadvertently hit LeBron on the head while attempting to block the layup, and after James went tumbling to the floor, holding his head in pain, officials reviewed the play and assessed Stephenson both a personal foul and a dead ball technical foul.

According to the NBA’s official rulebook, “players are not allowed to make unsportsmanlike contact with their opponents after the whistle, and technical fouls will be assessed if warranted.”

But here’s the thing: Players eat contact all the time and continue to the basket to finish with an and-one. So yes, Stephenson accidentally hit James in the head while defending a layup — which would have likely been assessed a flagrant foul one had it been on a shot attempt — but he’s got to stop James from converting that basket anyway, right? And in a Game 7 environment with a crowd as rowdy and loud as it is at The Q, how is Stephenson supposed to know a play is dead if LeBron continues driving to the rack?

This call was a confusing one, and it’s one that got Stephenson — a fiery, emotional basketball player — an early technical foul in a heated battle against one of his playoff rivals.