By Michael Pointer

michael.pointer@indystar.com

Lance Stephenson was back laughing and cracking jokes with his Indiana Pacers teammates on Friday. When he walked off the court after practice, a media scrum quickly moved to him from coach Frank Vogel, who was left virtually alone in mid-sentence.

"I'm big-timing you coach," Stephenson said with a laugh. Vogel laughed along with him.

But there was still anger beneath the surface less than 24 hours after Stephenson's learned NBA coaches did not vote him as a reserve to the Eastern Conference all-star team.

"I'm mad," Stephenson said. "I feel like I had my breakout year last year. I showed I can play with anyone on the floor and I felt like this year, I brought a little bit more to my game.

"But other people saw it differently. I'm just going to keep working hard and prove everyone wrong."

Stephenson not being included among the All-Star reserves was the talk of the league when they were announced on Thursday night. Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley chimed in with: "That's a joke. I see why they've got so many crappy teams in the East because the coaches don't know what they're doing."

No Pacers player thrives off emotion more than Stephenson. He plays with an edge. Some, including Vogel, thought that emotion may have turned off coaches and convinced enough not to vote for him.

Stephenson went home and scoured social media. Nearly every comment he saw supported him and said he should have made the team, he said.

"All of them felt like I got screwed," the sometimes polarizing Stephenson said. "Finally, everyone is on my side."

NBA TV analyst Steve Smith said he would have chosen Stephenson, but declined to call it a huge snub.

"I don't think there was a 'no-doubt-about-it,' " said Smith, who played 14 seasons in the NBA. "I just think it was a numbers game. … I think if the Indiana Pacers would've got just one player (Paul George), without Roy Hibbert, I would've thought it was a snub."

Vogel said he was pleased by the way Stephenson responded during Friday's practice.

"He's not verbally saying it, but I could tell he was hurt a little bit," Vogel said. "But he came in and had great energy in practice today, great positive energy. He can move on and hopefully go on a tear."

Stephenson spent nearly 20 minutes talking with assistant coach Popeye Jones in the portion of practice open to the media. Team president Larry Bird came down to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse court afterwards and patted him on the back.

"It's hard," Vogel said. "It's something he deserved and he wanted it, so it's tough. You just do what you can. You squeeze him, you hug him a little tighter and make sure he understands how important he is to us."

"We all feel for him," said George, who was voted a starter by fans for the All-Star Game. "We're all upset for him."

Vogel has cautioned Stephenson to tone down the emotion. The coach tells him to continue to use it to his benefit, but outward displays such as dancing after making a 3-pointer in transition aren't necessary.

But Stephenson said on Friday he's not ready to change.

"That is part of me," he said, coming off his NBA-leading fourth triple-double in Thursday's loss to Phoenix. "If I want to celebrate a shot, I will. I am not doing it to (upset) the (opposing) coaches or to be funny to them. I feel like I want to celebrate because I didn't think I was going to make the shot. That's just a compliment to me."

Smith said he wasn't sure if those emotional displays hurt Stephenson's All-Star chances or not.

"Maybe it did (factor)," Smith said. "But I don't think the extracurricular hurt him as much other than I think the play of some other guys like (Brooklyn's) Joe Johnson did."

Stephenson might have even more incentive in Saturday's game against the Brooklyn Nets. Many analysts believe Johnson is the player that beat Stephenson out for a spot. Brooklyn also is where Stephenson grew up and he's been terrific against the Nets this season, shooting 61.5 percent from the field (24-for-39) and averaging 21.3 points, nine rebounds and 4.3 assists in three games, all Pacers victories.

"I definitely love playing against Brooklyn," he said. "I know my family and everyone is watching back home. I'm definitely going to be enthused to play that game."

Star reporter Candace Buckner contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Michael Pointer at (317) 444-2709.

BROOKLYN AT INDIANA

Tipoff: 7 p.m., today

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

TV: FSI

Radio: The Fan 107.5 FM

NETS (20-23)

Pos. Player Pts Key stat PG Shaun Livingston 7.3 3.1 apg SG Joe Johnson 15.7 2.8 apg SF Alan Anderson 8.4 2.6 rpg PF Paul Pierce 13.3 4.8 rpg C Kevin Garnett 6.9 6.9 rpg 6th Deron Williams 13.2 7.1 apg

PACERS (35-10)

Pos. Player Pts Key stat PG George Hill 10.8 3.3 apg SG Lance Stephenson 14.2 5.4 apg SF Paul George 23.0 6.4 rpg PF David West 13.0 6.5 rpg C Roy Hibbert 12.2 2.5 bpg 6th Luis Scola 8.0 5.3 rpg

New Nets: As it stands today, the Brooklyn Nets are in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Considering how far down in the standings the Nets once were, this is an accomplishment. A healthy Andrei Kirilenko has helped, however he was listed as a game-time decision in the Nets' Friday night game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Maybe the biggest change has been Williams accepting his role off the bench. On Jan. 20, Williams returned from an ankle injury as a reserve player and the Nets have won eight of their last 10 games.

Magic number is still 99: Though the Pacers are about to play their 46th game of the season, the steady litmus test for success continues to be if the they can hold opponents to under 100 points. On Thursday night, the Phoenix Suns barely surpassed the mark at 102 but defeated the Pacers for the second time in a little over a week. Overall, Indiana is 3-7 when an opponent scores 100 or more points.

Prediction: With Williams playing the sixth man role, the Nets go 10 deep and have a bench that could play as a starting five. At this point, Brooklyn is deeper than the Pacers, who's four-man bench has performed inconsistently of late. However, certain factors still favor the Pacers: Kirilenko's status along with the Nets arriving in Indianapolis for a second game of a back-to-back. Indiana wins 97-94.

— Candace Buckner