Lance Stephenson was at his most annoying last night. Born Ready hounded Miami players all night defensively, and pestered the Heat in little ways that only Stephenson does, like blowing in LeBron James’ ear. While James played it off as nothing—the King said, “I blew in my wife’s ear before”—Heat elder statesman Ray Allen wasn’t as forgiving, describing Stephenson’s antics as “buffoonery.”
Via ESPN:
Stephenson declined to get into the specifics of his maneuver.
“Just playing physical basketball,” he told reporters and smiled, according to NBA.com. “Doing whatever it takes to get the W. We all played good. I’m just happy we got the W tonight. Just having fun and playing ball.”
When Stephenson, who finished with 12 points, five assists and five rebounds, attempted to listen in on one of Miami’s huddles, he drew a glare from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
“I just wanted to hear what he had to say about what they were trying to do on offense,” Stephenson told reporters after the game. “They were trying to run a pick and roll and I wanted to hear it.”
[Ray] Allen called Stephenson’s antics “buffoonery” that is just making “himself look bad.”
“As players, we just are professional, we come out and do our jobs. He’s young. He’ll grow up,” Allen told reporters, according to Bleacher Report.
Pacers center Roy Hibbert didn’t see Stephenson blow into James’ ear but said, “Lance is Lance.”
