Stephenson blew in The King’s face, but the rivalry was a little deeper than that.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, which means one thing and one thing only:
LeBron James vs. Lance Stephenson: The Next Chapter.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Cavaliers actually worked Stephenson out as a prospect to join the team midseason. James had no qualms with the team potentially signing a past enemy.
"I got a history with Lance, too, obviously,” he said, according to ESPN. “I just want to win, man. That's all that matters to me. I got no personal problems with nobody."
Those problems might return now his ex-foe is an opponent once again.
Remember what happened the last time The King and Stephenson went head-to-head in a playoff series? Here’s a clue: LeBron was on the Miami Heat then, and Stephenson was on the Pacers?
Need another hint? OK. One player had more than their fair share of oxygen in their personal space.
Now you’ve got it. But Stephenson’s air-blowing antic wasn’t the only piece of history these two have between each other.
That’s probably because Lance couldn’t help but call The King a choker in their 2012 playoff series.
That was the same series three Heat players barged into the Pacers locker room looking for Stephenson and Juwan Howard almost fought him.
There’s some history here between James and Stephenson, and the Cavaliers’ forfeiture of the No. 1 seed has borne the sequel in a once buried beef. Now, we get to see if Lance has some extra tricks up his sleeve.
Happy Playoffs.