Kyrie Irving nearly makes Lance Stephenson face-plant with crossover

April 18 (UPI) -- It's no secret that Kyrie Irving has some of the best handles in the NBA. Lance Stephenson witnessed that firsthand in Game 2 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.

At the end of the third quarter Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers point guard victimized Stephenson with a killer crossover. Irving took a pass at the elbow from Kevin Love before dribbling toward the hoop.

Stephenson came around to face up on the All-Star before Irving jabbed in with a wide, right-handed dribble. He quickly bounced the ball to his left hand and jerked his hips back into position.

The move nearly sent an unbalanced Stephenson face-first into the floor at the free throw line. Irving stepped back and hit an easy jump shot to put the Cavaliers up 93-75 on the Indianapolis Pacers.

After the contest, Pacers star Paul George said Stephenson's body language can be contagious.

"It can be," George told reporters.

"He has got to learn to control himself," George said. "He has to learn to just be in the moment. Lance, in our locker room, is looked upon as a leader ... one of our leaders. So his body language has to improve just for the team."

The Cavaliers won the contest 117-111, to go up 2-0 in the series. Irving scored a game-high 37 points. LeBron James had 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Stephenson netted 13 points for the Pacers, which resume the series at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.