Coach Nate McMillan admits that Lance Stephenson can sometimes become a distraction on the court, as Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star passes along.
“I don’t want to take his passion from the game,” McMillan said of Stephenson. “We always have to control ourselves, that’s including myself on the sidelines. Sometimes that can become a distraction. We talk about that all the time. You can’t be drunk on emotions out there. We got to be able to get back, get to the next play. That’s for me, too.”
The combo guard knows he needs to control his emotions, adding that he doesn’t want to give the opposition anything they can use as an advantage.
“Sometimes I tend to get out of control,” Stephenson said. “I was getting frustrated with Kevin Love scoring on me. But that’s the passion I have for the game. I need to stop showing it. If somebody’s scoring on you and you show frustration, they’re going to keep going to it. I felt like I showed that. That’s what Paul [George] was talking about. Don’t show them no weakness.”
Clifton envisions McMillan shortening his bench for Game 3, which could mean more time for Stephenson in the Pacers‘ first home playoff game of 2017.
Here’s more from
- GM Bryan Colangelo said the Sixers will address the power forward position this offseason, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News relays. “I think the stretch-four position is something, backing up Dario [Saric] or starting in front of Dario, whichever it is if we can find someone that’s better. We’ve got to probably address that four position,” Colangelo said.
- The Sixers need to sign Ersan Ilyasova in free agency, Cooney contends in the same piece. The scribe pegs the power forward’s market value at $10-12MM per year, which he considers a reasonable rate for a player who fits in well next to Joel Embiid in the frontcourt.
- Rod Beard of The Detroit News examines five players the Pistons could take if they stay at No. 12. The team has a 2.5% chance at climbing into the top-3, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors notes.
Controlling your emotions is nice, but the real problem is that the Pacers aren’t a very good team.
Lmao why would the sixers sign ilyasova they just traded him lol
Was a free agent . Got 2 picks for him.
The Sixers’ front office makes GarPax look like geniuses.
Enjoying that Michael Carter Williams, huh?
Considering BC drafted him, Chris Bosh is probably the only power forward available the Sixers can get who is better than Dario Saric, can mentor him, then move out of the way in a year or two.
The Heat don’t want to pay him. But Bosh doesn’t want to retire. The Sixers have $45M in cap space. And they could also use a classy veteran with a championship ring.
I like Bosh, but with his medical history and the Sixers issues with all their injuries, this is not a match made in heaven.
The Sixers should look elsewhere.
Larry is on thin ice, if he doesnt make Indy a title contender this summer George is gone.
Sixers did Ersan a favor trading him to a contender, now go get him back, we can use him.