Several years ago boyz were lookin’ at Lance Stephenson like he was crazy for playin’ the game like he was in the projects somewhere and havin’ fun. In ANY HOOD, USA the game of basketball is played the way the kid from Brooklyn plays it. With crazy passion and soul!!! Once you take the soul out of the game it ceases to be any fun.
Frank Vogel, Larry Bird and Paul George seemed to criticize him publicly in the media after big games durin’ his first stint with the Pacers and I believe it was the reason why he dipped the first time. I would have bounced to because who wants to play for cats that want to inhibit them. Especially when you’ve got a teammate (Paul George) that was constantly tryin’ to side with the media in criticizin’ you. Who wants to be around that foolishness?
Now that he’s got a coach that allows him to be himself and a roster full of cats that don’t criticize him for playin’ the game with that childish enthusiasm. As a result, ole boy is consistently addin’ to the results and makin’ the fan experience great.
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! I’ve been callin’ the dun Lance “The Don Dada” since he came into the league in 2010 which was my first year coverin’ the Pacers. I loved the way he played the game because of the passion that he exerted on the floor. Sure, he’s goin’ to throw a pass every now and then and hit the beer man in the chest but that comes with the territory.
However, when he hits that no look pass comin’ down the floor and it’s a dart for the crazy assist. It’s worth every penny that the fan spent to come to the game. He had several of those on Saturday night in the Pacers 100-92 win over the 76ers. It was pandamonium when he was knockin’ down three-pointers in the fourth quarter and throwin’ crazy no look joints and flappin’ his arms like a bird playin’ the air guitar. It was NUTS and the fans love it.
That’s what makes the game great to watch. He’s an entertainer that happens to be pretty darn good at hoopin’.
Remember when Lance blew in LeBron’s ear durin’ the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014? Both Frank Vogel and Paul George criticized him for his behavior after the game which opened the door to media-types blastin’ him and then the fans jumped on the bandwagon too.
However, what none of them realized was that he held the best player in the world to 7 points and 24 minutes of play because LeBron was in foul trouble. It was Lance “The Don Dada” that frustrated the crap out of King James that night to help the Pacers extend the freakin’ series to 6 games. Otherwise, without Lance they would have been done that night in 5.
It was the Don Dada that allowed the Pacers to even sniff the playoffs last season winnin’ the last 5 out of 6 games to get in once they signed him. Now all of a sudden everybody wants to love him now? He was the guy that most of these media-types in the city was blastin’ for the way he played the game over the years. Now he’s everybody’s favorite. C’mon bruh!!
He’s doin’ the same thing he’s always done. Played the game with passion and soul! The only difference is that he’s got a coach and teammates that allow him to be himself. Salute to the Pacers for lettin’ that man do him! Lance “The Don Dada” for life! Stop me when I start lyin’!
Playas Thesaurus:
1) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.
2) Ole boy: noun – the person that I’m currently talkin’ about.
The G is excluded from the endings of all words because the G is near and dear to my heart because I’m from “The G” which is Gary, Indiana. So I only use the G when I’m talkin’ about “The G!”
The caption under the photo isn’t real but its real talk!