Lance Stephenson congratulates LeBron James, Heat

Lance Stephenson provided the Miami Heat with all the motivation they needed to win the Eastern Conference Finals. We’re not saying the Indiana Pacers would have won if not for Stephenson’s antics, but he had to have made the Heat want it even more. After the series ended on Friday night, Stephenson congratulated Miami on punching their NBA Finals ticket.

“I have much respect for LeBron and the Heat,” Stephenson wrote on Instagram. “This was a great series they deserve it all love to Heat. Want to say that I’m so proud of my teammates we work so hard all year to get to point, Everything is a learning experience and getting better every year love u guys Pacer nation and thanks to all of our Pacer fans love y’all too.”

Udonis Haslem didn’t look like he had any love for Stephenson during Game 6, but Lance and LeBron embraced after the game. It’s easy for the Heat to look past Stephenson’s antics now that they won the series. Will the Pacers do the same when he becomes a free agent this summer? I highly doubt it.