Pietrus Fills A Vital Role For Magic

ORLANDO, June 11 -- Hedo Turkoglu's jump shot bounded off the rim Tuesday night and Orlando Magic reserve guard Mickael Pietrus soared high above everyone else, as if he were dropped from the rafters, and dunked the ball with two hands to give the Magic a two-point lead with 2 minutes 19 seconds left in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The Magic never trailed after that dunk, which was more spectacular given that it came late in a game Pietrus spent chasing around Kobe Bryant. Pietrus helped secure Orlando's first Finals win when Bryant fumbled Pau Gasol's pass and Pietrus stole the ball and hit two free throws with 28.7 seconds remaining.

Pietrus is part of the "whole kitchen sink" that the Magic threw at Bryant. Pietrus and Courtney Lee helped limit Bryant to 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting in the second half. He also scored a postseason-high 18 points, adding a highlight dunk in the second quarter.

"I'm just trying to play basketball, just trying to enjoy it," Pietrus said. "I just have to keep doing; it doesn't bother me and I don't get tired. That's my responsibility."

Pietrus has been the Magic's top reserve this postseason, raising his scoring average, shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage from the regular season. He has scored in double figures in 14 of his past 17 playoff games.

Pietrus is in his first season with the Magic after spending the first five seasons of his career yo-yoing in and out of the rotation with Golden State. In addition to guarding Bryant, Pietrus also had to contend with LeBron James in the conference finals.

"Obviously, the pressure doesn't bother him at all," Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He played in Golden State, they won one series, and he barely played there. So this is it, his first time through the playoffs. Not many of our guys with a lot of experience. As I say to them all the time, they've all got basketball experience, and these international guys have played in huge games that mean a lot to their country. So he's obviously not fazed by this and I think that's a great thing."

Tough Assignment for Gasol

Of all the defensive assignments in this series, none is perhaps more difficult than the one belonging to Lakers forward Gasol, who has to defend Orlando's top two offensive options in Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. Gasol starts the game against Lewis, a 6-foot-10 jump-shooting forward who could easily smoke him in a sprint.

And he usually ends the game defending the 265-pound Howard, who can probably bench-press him.

"It's hard," Gasol said. "They both are tough in different ways. One is more physically tough, and the other one is more moving, motion tough, because you have to stay with him at all times. It's challenging, but at the same time, that's what it takes. We're in the NBA Finals, and I'm a guy that steps up to the challenge, and it is a challenge. I'm definitely happy to do it."