The Eastern Conference finals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2009 saw Orlando Magic guard Mickael Pietrus return from the bench to show that his rhythm was not affected.
The Eastern Conference finals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2009 saw Orlando Magic guard Mickael Pietrus return from the bench to show that his rhythm was not affected.
On Tuesday, at the third of the finals between Magic and the LA Lakers at the Amway Arena in Orlando, not only did Pietrus star with some eye-popping free throws and a big dunk at the tightly finished end, but also led the defence by showing he was up to matching his wits and skills with Lakers' star Kobe Bryant.
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Orlando Magic's Mickael Pietrus (right) readies to shoot past Los Angeles Lakers' Derek Fisher in Game Three of the NBA Finals in Orlando yesterday. Magic defeated Lakers 108-104. PICs/ap, AFP |
So much was his influence on the game, that Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy, who normally reserves his comment for the performers, had a lot of positive remarks for this 27-year-old, who was one among the stars in Orlando's 108-104 win over Lakers.
"He was very good," he said post-match. Asked what had gone wrong with Pietrus after a fantastic start to the season, Gundy said: "There were a lot of injury lay-offs for him. He used to play, get injured and then come back again and then go out again. These injury breaks never really allowed him to play for a long stretch. And because his appearances on the court were sporadic, we had to bench him.
Back with a bang"But since the time he has returned for the Eastern Conference play-offs, he has been playing consistently and for many games. Obviously he has found his rhythm, which is showing in his game."
Though Pietrus had a second good day at work (he was equally good in the losing cause Game Two on Sunday), there were some other notable performances that helped the home team win a NBA finals game at home for the first time 15 years.
Hedo Turkoglu (18), Rashard Lewis (21), Dwight Howard (21) and Rafer Alston (20) chipped in with exceptional performances in the win.
