Orlando Magic found a playoff hero in the unlikeliest place

Jamal Cain has often not sought the spotlight.

After he was invited to speak to the media on the podium following a late-season game, he told reporters that speaking to the media was the most uncomfortable thing he had done.

Cain usually lets his play do the talking.

Desmond Bane took note of that in the offseason. As Cain started to get more and more minutes, he explained to whoever would listen that he saw this in the Magic's former two-way player, dating back to their open gyms.

It was only a matter of time before Cain found his opportunity.

There is no denying it now. Not after what Jamal Cain did to Jalen Duren midway through the fourth quarter, beating Cade Cunningham's full-court pressure, seeing an open runway and taking off, blowing Duren clear into the Pistons' bench as he rose up for one of the most powerful dunks in the league this year.

"I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to win," Cain said after Game 4. "I'm just trying to make my teammates' life easier. That's diving on the floor, sprinting the floor. I don't really care about shots, I just want to win the game."

The power of that dunk was perhaps a statement for the entire game, a 94-88 victory to take a 3-1 series lead. A breakthrough and energetic moment in a grind-it-out defensive game.

Cain did so much more in that game -- his putback dunk with 4:55 to play gave the Magic the lead for good. With Franz Wagner out with right calf soreness, Jamal Cain finished the game and defended Cade Cunningham, helping him to 0-for-5 shooting and two points in playing the entire fourth quarter.

It made Cain an unlikely hero for the team in this series. He is doing whatever it takes to win, and Cain is as big a reason as any that the Magic are one win away from advancing.

Cain has made an impact on winning

There have been some questions, even among Orlando Magic fans, about why Jamal Cain was getting so many minutes. It is hard to shake the label of a two-way player, even though the Magic converted his contract toward the end of the season to be eligible for the Playoffs.

In the series with the Detroit Pistons, Cain is averaging 3.7 points per game and shooting 50.0 percent from the floor in 10.3 minuts per game. Cain has been in the rotation but playing with a very tight leash.

He came into his own during Game 3.

Cain scored seven points on 2-for-4 shooting with several big plays on both ends to help the Magic secure the victory and grow their lead.

He followed that up with eight points and nine rebounds on 4-for-8 shooting in Game 4. That came with holding Cunningham to 1-for-7 shooting in 4:06 against him, according to NBA.com's tracking data.

He has been unafraid to back down. It is that attitude that has made an impact as much as his stats.

"I think he's playing huge for us," Desmond Bane said after Game 4. "He played 24 minutes tonight and closed the game in an NBA playoff game. That is something you can't take for granted and something that will be huge for his career moving forward. I still think he has another gear to him and another level to reach. Excited to keep pushing him and helping him get there."

Cain has been making an impact for the Magic for several weeks now.

Since entering the rotation with a 12-point showing on the road against the Miami Heat in March, he averaged 9.0 points per game on 53.4-percent shooting and 38.0-percent shooting from three in 19.6 minutes per game in the final 17 games of the season.

Included in those games were eight games in double figures and just four games with a negative plus/minus.

Whether it was his shooting, his defense or his energy Cain has made an impact on winning for the Magic during the last quarter of the season. He earned his trust and a spot in the rotation.

"Cain has been elite," Jalen Suggs said after Game 3. "Even down the stretch of the season, he has been elite for us. Very proud of him and so happy for him. Not only does he deserve the opportunity, but he deserves the love for what he is doing on defense and on the glass."

Cain has been everywhere for this team. He has earned the accolades.

He is just getting started?

Heroes always emerge in the Playoffs.

Defenses are geared to stop the stars and they are willing to give something up. That is where a player like Jamal Cain can become a hero. That is where a team may not have the scout they need on him and he does the things he did in Game 4.

The Magic always knew he could be someone who could grow into a contributor for these moments.

"I knew he was a rotational player in open gym," Desmond Bane said after shootaround Monday. "Just the way he defends, the way he makes open shots, unselfish, he plays extremely hard. Those guys don't grow on trees. I knew it was only a matter of time. In this league, you have to do your job and be ready, and he was ready."

More than anyone, Cain understands how precious these opportunities are. He has had to work to get to the NBA and have these chances.

Cain has earned respect and opportunity through his hard work.

Cain is symbolic of the camaraderie present on the team. Part of their culture is their close-knit locker room. Everyone is cheering for Cain to make the most of this opportunity.

"His ability to go out there and play all out every single night and doing all the little things because he knows he can't take it for granted," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Game 4. "His ability to recognize that and play that way night in and night out says something about the care factor that he has for the work he has put in and also what he has for this team."

Cain does not believe he has done anything. And that might be the most encouraging thing. He knows there is still so much more to do.

This series has given him loads of confidence to keep growing. Nobody in that locker room is surprised. They have lifted him.

"I don't think anyone can do this on their own," Cain said after Game 4. "Especially when all the guys tell me to be aggressive, don't be nervous, you are here for a reason, all those words help me in these type of situations and games. They have been nothing but the best in terms of giving me confidence and making sure I'm ready for this moment. I give all the credit to my teammates because they believe in me and give me the energy and mindset to play free and make plays."

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