Following the Pacers’ Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Paul George told reporters that Lance Stephenson needs to play with more discipline and poise when he’s on the court:
Paul George thinks Lance Stephenson must ‘learn to control himself’
George said Lance is a team leader, and he can’t let his emotions get the best of him.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“He’s got to learn to control himself,” George told reporters after the game. “He’s got to learn to just be in the moment. Lance is in our locker room, is looked upon as a leader — one of our leaders. His body language has to improve just for the team.”
Stephenson is a veritable spark off Indiana’s bench, but his unbridled passion and energy can sometimes serve as a detriment to the team. Even head coach Nate McMillan appears to tell Lance to calm down late in the second quarter:
This isn’t the first time George singled out a teammate in this series. After losing Game 1 by a single point, George expressed his dissatisfaction with C.J. Miles for taking and missing the final shot of the contest. Miles responded to George’s critique the following day, adding that while George “should want” to take the last shot, he did what he had to do in the moment.
George’s comments about Stephenson, however, appear to be in good faith. When Stephenson is playing under control and within himself, the Pacers are an entirely different team. George wants to motivate Lance rather than throw him under the bus.
“We all know Lance is an emotional guy and a lot of it is just his heart and his competitiveness that emotion comes out,” George went on to tell reporters. “He’s just got to channel that and put it toward making effort plays on the court and doing whatever he needs for us to succeed.”
The Pacers are going to need Stephenson to be at his very best if they want to beat Cleveland. Down 2-0 in the series, we’ll see if George’s comments can help Stephenson and the Pacers as they head to Indiana for Game 3.
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