Mike Conley jokes about becoming the villain for the Memphis Grizzlies ever since his trade to Utah. He also showered praise on Ja Morant.
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The Utah Jazz emerged victorious in Game 3 of their first round series with the Grizzlies yesterday. Two of the keys to their win yesterday were the performances of their All-Star guards.
Donovan Mitchell, who’s still playing his way back to full form, compiled 29 points on the night to lead the Jazz. Mike Conley complemented him perfectly with 27 points, which included a whopping 7 3-point makes.
Conley, as you might know, was the Grizzlies’ franchise player for much of the 2010s. The team went on a tank in 2017-18 after Conley went down with a season-ending ACL injury.
They traded Conley and Gasol the following year and tanked to obtain Ja from the draft. It seems that their attempt to rebuild is going pretty well, even if they’re currently trailing in this series.
Mike Conley reflects on how Ja Morant is carrying his Grizzlies legacy forward
Mike Conley, who still remains a crowd favorite at Memphis, reveled at the reception he got from their fans:
“It’s surreal — him wearing the jersey I’m so used to wearing, getting the cheers I’m used to hearing. You live long enough, you become the villain — and I’ve become that for the Memphis Grizzlies.”
“When we start to compete, all that stuff goes out the window. I was just having fun and competing, found a rhythm early. … It’s a great environment to play in, still one of my favorite places to play — I had a lot of fun with it.”
Conley will be hoping to make a deep postseason run with Utah this season. He’ll likely clash with the Lakers if the Jazz successfully negotiate the first two rounds of the playoffs.
