Pacers" Stephenson Feels Right at Home at the Garden During a game against the visiting Knicks in February, Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers sent home a postcard of sorts: a Statue of Liberty dunk, the ball held high in his right hand for an extra second before he jammed it through the net in the midst of a Pacers onslaught. Home for Stephenson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, happens to be Coney Island, in Brooklyn, where as a star at Lincoln High School, he was as much of an attraction as the Cyclone roller coaster. Stephenson led Lincoln to four consecutive city championships, and each of those titles was won on the Madison Square Garden hardwood, the same floor where he and the Pacers beat the Knicks on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. It was the first time that Stephenson had taken on his hometown team in the postseason and it couldn't have worked out any better: he put up 11 points and 13 rebounds in 38 minutes. Two days later, he was still feeling good. "It's nice to be home," he said before he had 9 points and 4 rebounds in a 105-79 loss in Game 2 on Tuesday night. I've always enjoyed playing here, especially in front of family and friends. Stephenson, whose high-flying act drew overflow crowds to the tiny Lincoln gymnasium - where New York City police officers were sometimes dispatched to control the hundreds who got inside the gym to see him and the hundreds more who were turned away - said that he purchased only five tickets for family members to watch him in Game 2. "I was supposed to buy 15 tickets for friends and family, but these tickets are expensive, man," Stephenson said with a smile. I saved a lot of money by limiting it to five tickets. I'm not trying to spend a fortune out here. Stephenson, who plays with a chip on his shoulder and a scowl on his face, grew up 15 blocks from the Surfside Gardens housing project, where two N.B.A. cousins, Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, grew up. When asked if he was attempting to follow in the footsteps of New York City guards before him who have made an impact in the N.B.A., a list that includes Bob Cousy, Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, Kenny Smith, Rafer Alston and Marbury, Stephenson's smile was replaced by that scowl. "Those guys were all great players, but they were point guards and I'm a shooting guard," he said, "As a swingman who can rebound, I'm just trying to make my own mark." Now in his third season, Stephenson seems to be finding his rhythm on the professional level. After averaging 8.8 points and 3.9 rebounds as a starter this season, he has been a major contributor in the playoffs, especially on the backboards. In six games against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, Stephenson averaged 7.8 points and 8 rebounds. Against the Knicks in Game 1, he was even better. "It seems that with every passing game, he's becoming more of a factor, especially on the glass," Pacers Coach Frank Vogel said of Stephenson, who has recorded three straight double-digit rebound games in the playoffs. He just keeps growing as a player; he's a real gamer. He's one of the guys I have little doubt about. No matter where he is, he rises to the occasion. It seems the bigger the stage, the better he plays. Pacers center Roy Hibbert said: "It's the little things he does to help us win games. He can rebound very well for his size and do positive things on the defensive end, and that has translated well into more playing time for him and more chances to score on the offensive end. Lance is a tough kid. Stephenson said that he could not help thinking about how he is trying to derail the Knicks, the team he watched growing up, on the same floor where he won high school championships. Two decades ago, a pair of former New York City high school players - Smith and Mario Elie - once helped keep the Knicks from winning a championship in 1994 as members of the Houston Rockets. As teammates on the Pacers, Jackson and Brooklyn's Chris Mullin were also a postseason thorn in the Knicks" side. Now it's Stephenson's turn, not as a star but as a useful member of a team that has no marquee names but a good deal of talent. "I know I'm not the big man on campus anymore," Stephenson said. I'm just here trying to play hard and contribute where I can, whether that be rebounding or dishing out assists or playing good defense - whatever it takes to win.