MACAU – Lance Stepheson has no issue about David Semerad getting under his skin during the East Asia League Terrific 12 encounter between the Liaoning Flying Leopards and TnT Katropa on Tuesday night.
In the words of the former NBA player himself, ‘it’s part of the game.’
“He plays hard and he’s playing aggressive. They try to stop me and they’re going to do whatever it takes,” said the 29-year-old American, a teammate of LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, following the Leopards’ close 96-91 win.
“I just got to be smarter. I thought he was trying to hurt me. It’s part of basketball. I wasn’t mad. I’m just having fun out there. I want to win the game and I don’t want to hurt my team. I’m just happy we won the game.”
Things got a little bit testy between Stephenson and Semerad late in the third quarter when the Brooklyn, New York native was bumped by Semerad while going strong to the hoop.
Semerad went down to the floor following the collision, and as he stood, Stephenson approached him and tried to poke him in the eye, sparking a little bit of a commotion that was quickly averted by game officials.
The incident further sparked the partisan Filipino crowd at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion to jeer Stephenson, who is well-known for his court antics in the NBA.
But the product of Cincinnati said he’s just having fun in his first official game with the Leopards prior to the opening of the new Chinese Basketball Asociation (CBA) season.
“I’m happy. I’m having fun and just enjoying basketball right now,” said Stephenson.
Once focused, Stephenson showed exactly what he can do on the court.
He finished with 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting, had seven rebounds, and eight assists in leading the Leopards to the win for the top spot in Group D.
His vicious one-handed slam off a transition capped a strong finishing kick by the Leopards, who survived the combined 73 points of TnT imports KJ McDaniels and McKenzie Moore to pull off the victory and move closer to clinching a berth in the semifinals of the week-long meet.
Stephenson’s effort earned him the respect of Liaoning coach Guo Shiqiang, a member of the Chinese national team in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics as well as the 2002 FIBA World Cup, despite the American just joining the team for only a week.
“Generally speaking, he (Stephenson) did a very good job not only on offense, but he can also make the opportunities for the other guys,” said Guo.
The feeling is mutual, according to Stephenson.
“I feel like the whole team stick, just welcoming me to the team, and helping me with the plays,” he said. “Even though they don’t know English that much, we still know how to communicate, and we’ll gonna learn each other more.”
To show their growing fondness for their new teammate, the Leopards has given Stephenson a new name.
“My teammates call me Lancer and I like my new nickname,” he said smiling.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph