Clifton Brown

IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS – After nearly instigating a brawl with the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, Lance Stephenson realized something. He was staying at the same Downtown hotel as the Raptors, who still wanted a piece of him.

“I can’t go back to the hotel,” Stephenson said smiling. “I need bodyguards.”

Stephenson may need bodyguards, but he is giving the Pacers exactly what they need. Since arriving three games ago as the NBA’s most controversial late-season addition, Stephenson has fuel-injected the team with passion, bravado and energy.

Simply put, the Pacers have been Lanced. He enters the game, and the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse starts buzzing. He immediately picks up the Pacers’ intensity level, and teammates follow his lead.

And here’s the strangest part. Stephenson has been a misfit with five other NBA teams, yet he fits so well with the Pacers. Why? Here is Stephenson’s take:

“When your teammates believe in you, and the organization believes in you, the game becomes easy,” said Stephenson, reflecting on his improbable journey back to the Pacers after leaving them as a free agent in 2014.

“I should have never left from the beginning. It was a hard road, an emotional ride, but I stuck with it. It humbled me a lot. It showed me that every team is not for you. I just stuck with it, never gave up, stayed in the gym and believed in God. God had my back. Now I’m back home.”

It remains to be seen whether Stephenson’s arrival will catapult the Pacers (39-40) into the playoffs. Or whether Stephenson can his continue to channel his energy positively, so that his fire does not eventually backfire on the Pacers.

But with three games left in the regular season, the Pacers have won two straight for the first time since February, heading into Saturday night’s road game against the Orlando Magic. Stephenson has dived headfirst into the action, averaging 8.3 points and 3.7 assists coming off the bench, in just over 22 minutes per game.

You need a statistic that measures adrenaline rush to quantify Stephenson’s impact. His defiance and edge were qualities the Pacers lacked before he arrived. Lately, the Pacers have attacked opponents with no apologies and impressive results.

Meanwhile, Stephenson remains both a charismatic and unpredictable personality. His strength, shooting range, playmaking and versatility make him a handful to defend as a 6-5 shooting guard. But his emotion and questionable on-court judgment make him one of the league’s most mercurial players.

From the Pacers and their fans, Stephenson receives love. What does Stephenson hear from opponents? Maybe some other four-letter words, but not love.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey was livid Tuesday about Stephenson’s end-of-game layup, with the Pacers already leading by 15 points.

“I thought it was bush league,” Casey said. “We know who he is. We know what he stands for.”

Stephenson’s meaningless basket broke an NBA code, rubbing defeat in Toronto’s face. Stephenson and Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan had been jawing throughout much of the second half. And if Stephenson had not shown restraint by walking away when confronted by DeRozan and P. J. Tucker after the final buzzer, the scene could have turned ugly. Tucker was still hot after the game, calling Stephenson’s move “tasteless” and “classless.”

Stephenson’s response was typical Lance. First, he apologized to the Raptors through the media after the game. But the next day, Stephenson tweaked the Raptors with an Instagram post that featured Raptors guard Norman Powell dunking against the Philadelphia 76ers last year during the final seconds, with Toronto ahead by 24 points.

The message from Stephenson was clear: He thought the Raptors were being hypocrites.

“They got mad at me for what I did, but look at this,” Stephenson wrote in the caption beneath the Powell video.

Was Stephenson sorry, or not sorry? Maybe it was both, because life is always a mixed bag with him.

Ask Stephenson a question, and it becomes dangerous to anticipate his response.

Why was he wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey in the locker room after Tuesday’s game?

“I was just trying to match my outfit,” said Stephenson, looking down at his red sneakers, one of many pairs in his massive collection. “I don’t even watch (hockey).”

How many pairs of sneakers does Stephenson have?

“I think I got 570,” Stephenson said.

Having 570 pairs sneakers has not kept Stephenson from missteps, like famously blowing in the ear of LeBron James during a playoff series. However, at age 26, Stephenson says he is more mature, and truly grateful to have a second chance in Indiana.

After spurning the Pacers and signing with the Charlotte Hornets in 2014, Stephenson said that he remained close with Pacers President Larry Bird, but that they did not communicate for more than a year.

“You know what it’s like?” said Stephenson of that estrangement from Bird. “Son and father getting mad at each other and not talking for a while.“

However, as Stephenson bounced from the Charlotte Hornets, to the Los Angeles Clippers, to the Memphis Grizzlies, to the New Orleans Pelicans, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Pacers missed his skills and his personality. Meanwhile, Stephenson missed the Pacers, especially his closest friend on the team, All-Star forward Paul George.

George is one reason the remarriage between the Pacers and Stephenson is working. As the Pacers’ best player, George is totally comfortable with Lance being Lance. There was no question in George’s mind that signing Stephenson on March 30 was the right move, antics and all.

“That’s who Lance is, and it’s what this locker room lacked,” George said. “He’s all energy, it just spreads. It’s a wildfire. He starts it and the next guy gets riled up, and then the next guy, and then you have guys on the court and on the bench who are just all engaged. We haven’t had guys shouting and jumping, being involved on the bench, let alone in the games. He brought that to us.

“Lance is a ballplayer. Plays or no plays, he has a great feel, great knack for the game. He’s very confident. We need that.”

Nobody can guarantee the Stephenson experiment will be a success long-term. He is under contract for next season, but if the Pacers don’t make the playoffs, many things will be reevaluated.

As he sat courtside watching Stephenson work on his jump shots before the Raptors game, Pacers front office advisor Donnie Walsh hoped the risk would be the worth the reward.

“Larry can talk real to Lance, and that’s what Lance needs sometimes,” Walsh said. “I don’t know how much he needs that now, but he needed it the first time with us. We needed a bigger body in Lance who can defend two guards, and Lance can do that. I see a more mature player. But I hate to break anybody’s forgone conclusions. Nobody’s got a crystal ball on any this stuff.”

Those who know Stephenson best are happy he is back with the Pacers. Dwayne "Tiny" Morton is one of Stephenson’s mentors, having coached Stephenson to four New York City Public School League Championships at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. Morton says critics should remember that Stephenson is a winner, who plays with such fury because he hates to lose. Morton believes being reunited with Bird and George will bring out the best in Stephenson.

“I call what Lance has passion, more than I call it emotion,” said Morton during a telephone interview. “Larry Bird has believed in Lance from the beginning. Lance never wanted to leave Indiana from the beginning. Being back there is important to Lance, and he wants to deliver.”

So far, Stephenson has delivered, and it has been compelling to watch. You never know what Stephenson might do next. But you can be sure you don’t want to miss it.

INDIANA PACERS AT ORLANDO MAGIC

Tipoff: 6 p.m. Saturday, Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.

TV: FOX Sports Indiana

Radio: WFNI-AM (1070), -FM (107.5)

Storylines:

* The Pacers (39-40) can't afford a loss as they battle with the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Indiana is 3-0 against the Magic this season, and the margin of victory in each game has been at least 10 points. The Magic (28-51) have nothing to play for but pride, but former Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, in his first year with Orlando, knows the Pacers well. Vogel has a chance to play spoiler against his former team, so expect him to have the Magic ready to play.

*Paul George is one of the NBA’s hottest players, averaging 29.2 points and 7.7 rebounds over his past 10 games. Players who log heavy minutes often show the wear and tear of a long season in April. However, George’s legs look fresh in his determined quest to lead the Pacers to the postseason. If the Pacers start slowly, expect George to take over offensively.

* The Pacers’ road record (11-28) is one of the most disappointing aspects of their season. Only the Brooklyn Nets have fewer road wins (seven) among Eastern Conference teams. Had the Pacers performed even slightly better away from home, their playoff status would not be so precarious. A road loss in Orlando will haunt the Pacers all summer if they fail to make the playoffs.

Prediction: If the Pacers lose this game, you could argue they don’t deserve a playoff spot. But this is another situation where the spark provided by newly acquired guard Lance Stephenson should be a plus. Expect the Pacers to prevail and sweep the season series against Orlando. Pacers 95, Magic 90.

— Clifton Brown