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Lance Stephenson's dunk 'wedgie' sums up the Pacers' awful state of affairs (Video)

Lance Stephenson's dunk 'wedgie' sums up the Pacers' awful state of affairs (Video)

The Indiana Pacers are currently embroiled in a historically awful late-season collapse. While the team's 10-13 season-ending run of form suggested the postseason would be a struggle, the reality has been far worse. After Monday night's 107-97 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5, the East's No. 1 seed trails the postseason's only sub-.500 squad 3-2 and could become the fourth top seed to lose a seven-game series in the first round. They don't just look to have a bad matchup — the Pacers are getting embarrassed.

We now have an image to represent their troubles. Several minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Pacers having cut into a lead that once stood at 30 points, wing Lance Stephenson drove to the hoop in transition for what looked like an open and fairly easy dunk. It turned out to be anything but simple. Check out the video below:

Yes, Stephenson managed to jam the ball between the rim and backboard — also known as a wedgie — on an uncontested play. As such, it's the clear leader for Wedgie of the Year, supplanting DeAndre Jordan's thrown-dunk entry from December.

More importantly, though, Stephenson's wedgie stands as the current defining image of their poor playoff performance so far. With an opportunity for an emphatic finish, he instead ended up with something simultaneously ludicrous, hilarious and embarrassing. If the Pacers lose Game 6 or Game 7, their epitaph will read much the same.

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Eric Freeman

is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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