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Memphis Grizzlies: Playoff moments, “the masked man”

By Brendan Smart

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 13: Mike Conley
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 13: Mike Conley /
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My Memphis Grizzlies favorite playoff moments number three comes from the 2015 NBA playoffs. A game in which Mike Conley returned from having surgery on his “broken face.”

That’s right, after breaking several bones below his left eye, Conley returned and willed the Memphis Grizzlies to a huge victory in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors. I remember it like it was yesterday. Conley goes down, blood on the court, Conley masking his eye, and a fan base in total disbelief. That is our Captain, and the Grizzlies were up two games to none on Portland.

PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 25: Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies rolls over on the court after being injured during the third quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2015 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center on April 25, 2015 in Portland, Oregon.
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 25: Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies rolls over on the court after being injured during the third quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2015 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center on April 25, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. /

It happened so quickly that in a way it felt like the Grizzlies never swept the TrailBlazers, and without Conley there was no chance after that. Now, the Grizzlies were set up with a second round match-up with the Golden State Warriors. So, now you’re telling me, in 2015 with Conley throwing up bedside, and sleeping here and there, that he is going to return? Absolutely no way possible. To top all it all off, the Warriors were rolling.

After missing the first game of that series against Golden State in Oakland, Conley returned. If you took the mask, and bloody eye away, he looked like himself. With the mask and bloody eye, he looked like our hero, our Captain. “Captain Clutch” returned for game two and dropped 22 points in 27 minutes of play. Conley even got tackled by Warriors forward Dreymond Green, and as Green got up made it a point to nudge the left side of Conley’s face.

The roar of Conley both through his play, and a thunderous dagger three in the final two minutes were huge in a series that was lost.

Fans still question, “what if Conley wouldn’t have broken those bones?” It’s a good question to ask, but one that is out dated. Conley has been through a lot of tough injuries in his career, but you can’t help but wonder if it is making him stronger for a bigger moment in his NBA career.

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