ORLANDO, Fla. — In a locker room of jokers and pranksters, Mickael Pietrus occupies a critical role.
  “One of the ringleaders of silliness,” said Otis Smith, the Orlando Magic’s general manager.
  If there is a halfcourt shooting contest, Pietrus will be the one whooping and hollering. When the jokes start flying, he will get the last laugh, and the biggest one.
  “Whenever you try to crack a joke, he’s going to have a nice comeback,” Magic guard Anthony Johnson said. “He’s more the comeback type.”
  In other words, Pietrus gives as good as he gets, which is a useful skill at this time of the year in the N.B.A.
  For three rounds of the playoffs, Pietrus traded blows with some of the N.B.A.’s most imposing scorers. He guarded Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala, Boston’s Paul Pierce and Cleveland’s LeBron James. For an encore, Pietrus is wrestling nightly with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, one of the most dynamic scorers of his generation, with nothing less than a championship at stake.
  Once again, Pietrus is absorbing blows and dishing them out, a comeback artist at work. Bryant had 31 points Tuesday night, but Pietrus had the last laugh: his late steal and two free throws helped the Magic secure its first victory of the N.B.A. finals, 108-104. The Lakers lead the series, 2-1.
  Bryant dominated the first quarter, making 7 of 10 shots for 17 points, as the Lakers took control. But the Magic’s defense, led by Pietrus, held Bryant to 4-for-15 shooting the rest of the night.
  Pietrus had his best game of the series on both ends of the court, with 18 points, stiff defense against Bryant and several clutch plays down the stretch. His put-back dunk with 2 minutes 19 seconds left gave Orlando the lead for good, 101-99. Moments later, he combined with Dwight Howard to trap Bryant on a high pick-and-roll and flustered him into a turnover. Pietrus came up with the ball, was fouled by Bryant, and converted the free throws.
  “Obviously,” Coach Stan Van Gundy said, “the pressure doesn’t bother him at all.”
  Pietrus is 27 but a relative playoff neophyte. This is his first trip to the finals, and only the second postseason run of his career. He was a reserve for the Golden State Warriors when they upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007.
  The lessons are coming in rapid fire, most of them courtesy of Bryant. At 6 feet 6 inches, 215 pounds, Pietrus is long and rangy, and athletic enough to stick with Bryant. But his best efforts often go for naught. He bodies Bryant, and Bryant fades away for the jumper. He puts a hand in Bryant’s face, and Bryant shoots past it.
  Twice in Game 3, Bryant pump-faked Pietrus into the air, then jumped into him to draw a foul, once at the 3-point line. Bryant did the same to Courtney Lee, the Magic’s starting guard.
  Pietrus, a Frenchman who speaks English as a second language, needed only one adjective to describe the task of guarding Bryant.
  “He’s really tough,” Pietrus said, his head dipping and his grin growing wide. “Tough, tough-tough, tough-tough-tough-tough-tough shots.”
  It has been a taxing but memorable spring for Pietrus, who has emerged as a top-flight defender and lethal 3-point shooter. A  阅读全文>>