Mike Conley never seems to show much emotion on the court, and he famously has never earned a technical foul in his 17-year NBA career. He has the reputation for being one of the nicest guys and teammates in the NBA.
But Conley will tell you that despite the placid exterior and megawatt smile, there burns an insatiable competitiveness and sometimes even an anger to win.
No Timberwolves player has done more to bring professionalism and maturity to this season’s team, and when the Wolves were fighting themselves Thursday night against Memphis, it was Conley who again calmed them down and guided them to a 118-103 victory over an injury-ravaged Grizzlies team.
With the Wolves trailing 89-85 with 10 minutes, 47 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, Conley scored eight straight points for the Wolves and sent them on their way to their fourth consecutive victory, and their 30th overall at the midway point of the season (30-11).
When the 36-year-old Conley capped the run with a three from the left wing to put the Wolves up 93-89, he pounded his chest and took in the reaction from an excited crowd.
“I’ve always been competitive, but I could see it being a little bit more urgent for me at this stage of my career,” Conley said. “Every game matters more. I never know when it’s going to be the last one, like that kind of feeling. That’s how I treat it.”
To underscore that point, 22-year-old Anthony Edwards told an anecdote about how he used to win money playing “NBA 2K” with the Conley-and-Zach Randolph version of the Grizzlies. How old was this gambling version of Edwards? About 8, he said.
“I haven’t seen him show his emotions since Memphis,” Edwards said. “I feel like when he got here, he found his swagger back a little bit. It’s super exciting to see him get the crowd involved. Hit big shots, pump hisself up. Because he old, man.”