“We’ve Got To Lock In Right Away.” | Mike Conley Practice Sound | 05.21.24

“We’ve Got To Lock In Right Away.” | Mike Conley Practice Sound | 05.21.24

this is a much different team that you’re playing than than Denver just what’s the challenge of kind of Shifting Gears quickly to an entirely different approach probably defensively for you guys yeah uh it’s just that we know it’s going to be a different uh style of game a lot more pick and roles uh the ball handler is is the the yage of the series where they um do a lot of stuff for for for U you know Luka and and Kyrie and uh guys have to be able to be in and out in help situations and uh they play fast with to throw heads and all that stuff to their athletic wings so um we’ll have multiple challenges this series and um we’ll have to figure out how to do that right away obviously only getting a day day and a half to to prepare for him it’s different than the last two Series where we’ve had you know 3 4 days you know off to get ready so um we got to kind of lock in right away how are you feeling physically just kind of getting to where you want to be um getting better you know with these things this uh you know you play 38 minutes it’s going to be sore for next couple days but um after you get you know a lot of treatment a lot of rest uh like I’ve had over the last few days it feels really good going into the game you know just going to be one of those Cycles you have to deal with is it is it kind of thing where when you play does it does it get worse or can you can you like with the rest days still keep improving the injury overall or and how how was that Dynamic work with it yeah it honestly depends on you know if you can get throughout the game without having any you know small setback you know you have some movements that really kind of Jarred or um cause the pain to go up really quickly and kind of stays there for a little while some games I get through the whole game and you know you don’t have any setback and so you just kind of keep building you know upward and forward so I’m just trying to stack as many of those days together as I can did you what’s your history lake with Kyrie over the years there a lot of memorable battles a lot of head Deads that stand out or um he’s a nightmare nightmare to guard um but uh he’s been in the East most of the time so I you know I’ve only gotten to play against him a few times a year um so now him being in Dallas obviously uh and never played against him in playoffs either so it’s going to be a a fun challenge for us all and um you you get to play against one of the best players I feel like to you know ever touch a basketball so uh you know we got to be ready to go some of the things that they do well are things you probably haven’t seen play Come L just in the nature of the playoffs like what is the challenge of in a day trying to get used to things that you’ve done in the regular season but have not done in a long time yeah um you know it’s it’s it’s definitely a challenge you’re going have to kind of reset your brain reset your mind because Denver is a completely different um matchup as far as you know how they play compared to Dallas and um and this is a completely different Dallas team than we’ve played uh in the previous uh couple games when we played them in the regular season um so for us it’s just trying to uh adjust to that right away trying to adjust to the coverages um our mindsets on who we’re guarding uh Tendencies for those guys we’re guarding um so you know that’s going to be our challenge right away Mike uh ant normally gets the best Wing stopper guard stop proper defensive guy guarding him but imagine earlier in your your career that was often the guy that was guarding you and this that you know ant’s getting it now what what is the difference for you like feeling that when it’s maybe not the best perimeter Defender guarding game um you know it’s obviously a lot less pressure on you as you know guys who regarding you now or maybe they’re second or third or whoever uh in line as far as their Defenders go on the perimeter and um it you know it’s opportunity to be a little bit more aggressive this opportunity to try to uh get the the ball in your hands and have more actions you know kind of flow through you when ants getting hounded or they trying to tire them out or they’re doubling them or something like that you know if I’m getting a guy closing out to me full speed I you know I’m at an advantage and um I try to use that Advantage if I can if I can get that ball um on time so um that’s just been how it’s been over the last year and a half being here especially uh with uh the guys we have on the team so I just got to be able to to be aggressive when I get that the ball Mike is it been on your mind all who might home the team after this season uh not at all actually not at all honestly like for a guy like ant um what does a run to the Western Conference finals this type of playoff experience and then what he’s about to get in this Western Conference Finals doe for him as far as his learning curve to becoming the star that he hopes to be uh honestly this is this is like uh you know trampoline you know the jump jump board for him and just being able to experience this at such a young age you know I I said it last after last game like a lot of times times you lose that game seven and then it kind of gets your mind you know on it for all summer and then you come back another year and you have to spring board to the Western cge Finals and kind of build up to it and and we’re able to win that now you know you got to do it now so it’s like hey you know can you build upon what we just accomplished in in round two round three uh coming up and and it’s a big moment for him big opportunity he’s got to understand that you know I think for you know our our gift is we have a lot of guys who don’t really realize the moment as much like how special it is or how important or what we just accomplished last last series so um it allows us to come in with just a hungry eager mentality I think that’s going to be to to his benefit going forward for his you know Legacy and things like that and and for our benefit as a team are they embracing the moment though going back to was it before game one against Phoenix your message to the team about it’s been so long since you’ve had a run like this are the guys embracing this moment oh yeah they definitely embraced it but like I said it’s been a it’s been a weird balance of embracing a moment understanding like the urgency I feel or like the you know the things that I’m feeling but at the same time they they you know they’re so green to the situation like they don’t understand like hey man like every single play matters every single second in the game matters one game doesn’t dictate what the next game’s going to going to happen you know you’re going to play two three different teams throughout a series you know essentially uh with the adjustments and I think that last series was really good for us we got to learn a lot about ourselves learn a lot about how you can win Series in a bunch of different ways so we’re looking down we’re down 02 in this series it’s no reason to go oh no we have no chance to win this like no we can we can win three in a row we can win two in a row um so just understanding that you know that’s how this this this game’s going to be played from here on now kind of growing off does it feel a little is it starting to feel a little more real with that some of the younger guys that you mentioned further you keep going more real start to get are you getting that feeling from them that they’re starting to grasp that though uh I think so and I think uh you know it’s easy to look up and say man just four more wins you’re in the finals eight more wins you you’re winning it all you know just a simple way to look at it but I think what’s gotten us here to the spot where we’ve been at is is the realization of of every game is the biggest game every game is the only game uh that really matters so if we just keep that mentality that one game at a time mentality I think uh will be fine during the last series there was maybe a perception that whoever won between you and Denver is likely to represent the West in the finals is that something that you guys heard address do you do you try to blck that out of your mind or how do you how do you do that um not at all you know I think Dallas or OKC they’re both playing some of the best basketball in the league if not the best basketball in the league uh during our play during these playoffs the last you know last two series and um you know each series is going to be different we didn’t expect you know just cuz we beat Phoenix or Denver that it’s going to be you know now it’s our time to just run through the West now it’s you know Dallas is here for a reason um they’re completely different team like I said they’re playing some of the best defense some of the best offense we’ve seen um so you know that’s our mindset is just sticking sticking to the game plan you know getting ready for Dallas you’ve known all year couple more types of player that a had to be for this team to be its best version the type of player cat had to be for it to be its best version to see those guys like that message really sink in at the perfect time what do that been like um it’s been great you know just it’s been a lot of growth from our you know studs Our Stars and you know between cat Aunt Jaden like all them guys stepping up in the right times the right moments and in different ways um like cat being you know the guy that’s been able to to benefit from you know drawing double teams and making plays for guys and then ant not only scoring but playmaking and then deciding to take over games defensively like how we win is is completely different ways sometimes and it’s because of the their versatility and their willingness to sacrifice um jayen as well I think Jaden is going to be a big big key to that is he puts a lot of um you know takes a lot of pressure off of you know those guys when he’s able to get into his rhythm and score and defend the way he does so as proud of them so far and I think they just keep doing it hey Mike your personality seem like it couldn’t be any more different than ants how you guys click um I think that’s you know what the opposite track you know kind of thing like I got a lot with that he doesn’t have he’s got a lot what I don’t have so like you know we just find a way to meet in the middle and um but there’s just this mutual respect for each other I think you know he respects a lot of um you know what I do what I bring to the table um I respect so much of his work ethic and things that obviously he can do for our team and want him to see want to see him you know be the best player person he can be and I think uh he realizes that and just you know respects that a lot last one guys do you think the lack of runs like this in your career is maybe why you FL under the radar a little bit um possibly you know you know we always my teams have always kind of ran into that wall you know first second round we we end up you know playing against yage or Spurs or somebody and they uh knock us out and and just never were able to get over that h so um that could be you know one thing the postseason success is so big for you know people and and their view of how you are as a player and if you’re a winner or not so um I’ve always tried to play winning basketball but this year you know I’m trying to also do that and actually win you know at the same time not too late not too late not too late thank you

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