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The NBA hit Pacers guard Lance Stephenson with a $5,000 fine for violating the league's anti-flopping rules for the second time this season.
As you can see below, Stephenson took a quick dive away from the ball as George Hill drilled what would be a dagger three-pointer late in the Pacers win over Golden State on Monday night. I've seen worse flops go without a warning after the fact, the Lance's theatrical reputation will always draw scrutiny his way.
Stephenson earned his first warning for a flying flop after a nudge from Kyle Lowry when the Pacers played the Pacers on Jan. 7. As I mentioned then, it wasn't a matter of 'if' but instead 'when' Stephenson would earn that first flopping fine since all of that energy he brings to the floor has to go somewhere. Of course, I didn't think the 'when' would be just two weeks later, although it isn't a complete shock either.
Stephenson joins James Harden and Corey Brewer as the only NBA players to earn a $5,000 fine for a second flopping violation. I'm quite certain Lance doesn't give the extra theatrics a second thought on the floor, but he may want to find a way to avoid any over-the-top dives since the penalties continue to get more harsh for each violation.
The third violation will cost $10,000 and the fourth $15,000. Then things get real punitive with a $30,000 fine for the fifth violation and a game suspension for the sixth. That's when things start impacting the team, so no doubt Lance will be hearing it from teammates and coaches after a couple of more violations.
