On center stage, Lewis drawing rave reviews

"I see myself as one of the best players in the NBA," said Lewis, after scoring 21 points in a 108-104 Orlando victory over the Lakers in Game 3 Tuesday night. "I see myself as an underground kid. Underrated, but I get the job done night in and night out.

"A lot of people might not see it. At the end of the day, it's not a flashy game on the court. But at the end of the game, the numbers speak for itself."

Lewis has been trying to prove himself since he arrived in the NBA. The projected top-20 pick entered the 1998 draft following his senior year at Alief Elsik (Texas) High. The slender 6-foot-10-inch sharpshooter had an all-around game and a lot of potential, but his lack of strength was a concern. Lewis sat nervously in the green room at the draft as his name continued to go uncalled. And finally, with the 32d overall selection, third of the second round, the disappointment was written all over his face when he was selected by Seattle.

"Coming into the NBA, I was criticized that I wasn't going to make it," Lewis said. "I entered the green room and I got drafted in the second round. I worked from nothing to being where I'm at now. When I was younger it got me down a lot because I always wondered what people thought about me . . .

"I'm a people person. Over the years it's built a tough skin for me. It's hard to penetrate tough skin."

Lewis continued to develop each season with Seattle and surpassed a 20-point scoring average for the first time during the 2004-05 campaign (20.5), and was named an All-Star reserve. But while playing alongside Ray Allen, and playing many games that were not nationally televised and took place late in the East, a lot of what Lewis did went unnoticed outside of Seattle.

"My first three or four years in the NBA nobody knew I was in the NBA," he said. "Once I started to blossom a little more in Seattle, it was still tough to see the Seattle SuperSonics play on TV because we were in the Northwest. [Out West], a lot of people watch the Lakers. We didn't make the playoffs very much, so we didn't get a lot of TV games."

After averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 38.4 percent on 3-pointers for three straight seasons, Lewis was a marquee free agent during the summer of 2007. Looking for another star to put alongside center Dwight Howard, the Magic were criticized after signing Lewis to a six-year, $118 million contract. Despite the big contract, Lewis came to Orlando knowing it was Howard's team.

"I don't think he came in thinking that he was going to be the focal point of the offense," Howard said. "But he understands when he gets the ball, he has a tough [job]. He does a good job of scoring. He can shoot the ball, face up, get to the rim. He does a lot of great things for us."

Lewis, who made $16.4 million this season, said, "The contract situation always comes up, but to me it's not really a big deal. I just go out there to play basketball."

Lewis, 29, again was an All-Star this season, averaging 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, a team-best 83.6 percent from the free throw line, and 39.7 percent from 3-point range, while playing out of position at power forward. While he has had numerous big scoring games this season, including a 34-point performance in Game 2 of the Finals, his lack of flash and Howard's shadow have played a role in him not being one of the league's most popular players.

But through three Finals games, Lewis is averaging a team-best 21 points, as well as 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range. While Lewis's game is widely underappreciated, Howard made it known that the Magic respect his value.

"Well, we don't care what nobody says about Rashard," Howard said. "We understand what he does best, which is shoot the ball and attack, and when he's playing with a lot of freedom, he's able to do a lot of different things. I think Rashard has been one of the most consistent players on our team all year.

"Even when he's not shooting the ball well, he's still going to give you everything he's got. Even when he's not making shots, he's going to take shots, he's going to find a way to get into a rhythm, and he's going to play hard. That's all you can ask from Rashard."

Said Lewis, "At the end of the day, as long as we win ballgames I could care less if I score 5 points. As long as we win the ballgame, I'm happy with that."

Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com