The previous time Cory Joseph had graced the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, bedlam was threatening to erupt.
Lance Stephenson had just converted a meaningless layup in the final seconds of an inspiring 17-point Pacers victory over Toronto late last season, as Joseph jogged behind him. Joseph's Raptors teammates, P.J. Tucker and DeMar DeRozan, took exception and met Stephenson at midcourt, shouting and threatening him for breaking the NBA's unwritten rule about winning teams not scoring meaningless baskets at the end of one-sided games. The benches cleared, and players had to be separated and shooed off the court.