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PG Mike Conley (1st Team All BIG, NBA All-Star, Oscar Winner, Minnesota Timberwolves)

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BengalsAndBucks;1907942; said:
Mike logged a team high 44 minutes in the Grizzlies win today over the Spurs.
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Grizzlies' first playoff win in the team's entire history. Quite a milestone, and Mike Conley has unquestionably confirmed the team's wisdom in selecting him so early in the draft.

Conley remains the best basketball player I've ever seen wear a Buckeyes jersey. And yes, I watched Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Clark Kellogg.
 
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Emergence of young floor general Mike Conley big part of Grizzlies' success
By Ronald Tillery
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted April 20, 2011

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Photo by Nikki Boertman // Buy this photo
Griz point guard Mike Conley signed a 5-year, $40 million deal this season and responded with career highs in points, assists and steals.

SAN ANTONIO -- He is no longer a conundrum.

Those days are history.

Mike Conley is confident, and the Grizzlies' calm, collected and uncontested answer at point guard.

The 23-year-old floor general also will wake up this morning having to play a big role in an important subplot to the Grizzlies' first-round playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs.

Amid wide-spread commentary geared toward Manu Ginobili's expected return from an elbow injury is a point guard duel that likely will play a large role in deciding the series.

San Antonio is expecting a more efficient and explosive Tony Parker tonight in Game 2 after his opening-game offensive struggles. Memphis, though, is hardly conceding the match-up because of Conley's growth and emphatic departure from the perception that he's the weakest link.

Conley's 15-point, 10-assist performance Sunday essentially neutralized Parker and helped the Griz claim a Game 1 victory.

There's a strong belief that Conley can deliver again.

"If you've got Manu and Tony out there you've got to neutralize one of them by scoring buckets," Griz assistant coach Damon Stoudamire said. "I really think Mike needs to be a 20-and-10 player in this series for us to be successful."

Cont..
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http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/20/exclamation-point/

Q&A: Conley on the Grizzlies' lineup, series with the Spurs
By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY

The Memphis Grizzlies head into Game 2 vs. the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday ahead 1-0 and with a chance to put the team with the best record in the Western Conference on the ropes.

Led by Zach Randolph's 25 points and 14 rebounds, Memphis won its first playoff game in the franchise's 16-year history in Game 1. The Grizzlies have overcome a season-ending injury to small forward Rudy Gay, inconsistent bench play, the relegation of shooting guard O.J. Mayo from the starting lineup and his botched trade to the Indiana Pacers.

Point guard Mike Conley, one of three Grizzlies to sign long-term extensions this season, talked with USA TODAY's J. Michael Falgoust this week:

How do you deal with accomplishing a feat such as winning your first playoff game but keeping in mind this is a seven-game series and the Spurs?

You got to stay humble. Stay hungry and focused on the task at hand. I think everybody understands why we're here. We're not here to win a game. We're here to win four games and we just started off on the goo foot.

With Ginobili they are a different team and able to attack in different ways and do things that a lot of players in the NBA can't do. When they don't have him you'll see a more aggressive Tony Parker, a more aggressive Tim Duncan, George Hill, Gary Neal, all these guys. You still have your hands full. It's still a great team, with or without Ginobili.

Are you guys finally used to not having Rudy since he's been out the last two months?

That's something we don't get into. We understand that Rudy's gone (left shoulder surgery). People can say all they want about Ginobili (sprained right, non-shooting elbow), but with Rudy we are a different team as well. We've played without him for so long, we know we got to bite that bullet, we're used to it.

The second unit is giving your team a lot of production with Tony Allen, Darrell Arthur, O.J. Mayo. What's surprised you about that group because earlier this season the bench was a weakness?

What's surprising his how many different guys have stepped up for us. Tony being one of them. Darrell has had a great year. O.J., after everything he's been through this season, to finally get it back to what he's used to and having him playing well again and then having our rookies coming in ?it's just an overall team effort. It's not about them, it's the team. It's that kind of attitude that's been able to help.

Has coach Hollins done anything different beyond personnel changes to get this team playing better?

It's a matter of all of us figuring this out at the right time. Finally, everybody's on the same page with coach. Everybody is believing in what he says. Once you got everybody on the same path, everybody playing for the same reason, you're able to develop, get to the playoffs and do some damage. It's a team effort by the coaching staff and the players to grow together and that's where we are right now.

Cont...
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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/grizzlies/2011-04-19-mike-conley-interview_N.htm

In your first playoff game how different was the intensity compared to a regular season game?

“It felt like it was a night-and-day difference at first. The crowd was into the game as soon as the ball was tipped. I’ve never been in a gym that loud before and I think after the first four or five minutes it kind of settled down. You know the adrenaline wore off a little bit and you know from than on it was just basketball. I think that’s what helped us get through once we realized you know it is a playoff game, but at the same time it’s still basketball. We were able to play our game and get away with a win.”
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http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2011/04/19/mike-conley-grizzlies-spurs-nba-playoffs-2011/
 
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More on Mike Conley; What they're saying...
By Ronald Tillery on April 20, 2011

Griz coach Lionel Hollins on Conley's early NBA struggles:

"He came in and was 170 pounds. Everybody that comes out as a (college) freshman or out of high school doesn't have a body like LeBron James. They need to grow into the NBA both mentally and physically."

Center Marc Gasol on Conley's growth:

"He's somebody you know has no secret agenda. He does everything for the team. He's all about winning. That's what we really care about."


Conley on Conley:

On his low point:

"My whole rookie year. The second year, too. That was the lowest point I've had in my entire basketball career. Not playing some nights, being injured, not starting and being inconsistent with my play and my minutes."

On gaining confidence:

"Once I learned to use my speed and how much quicker I had to be, the court opened up. I was able to get to the rim a lot better. I started finishing. And making the jump shot makes the game easier."
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http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/t...4/more-on-mike-conley-what-theyre-saying.html
 
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It sounded like Mike struggled on defense trying to guard Westbrook yesterday, but the OKC announcers had nothing but great things to say about Mike's play.
 
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