Conley’s Corner: Turning the page on heartbreak

Editor s note Mike Conley is one of the best sources of information in the NBA Entering his th NBA season the -year-old Timberwolves point guard has seen it all and has the knowledge and willingness to explain what s taken place and what s to come with the media and thus the fans That breadth of insight and analysis extends from the on-court Xs and Os to group dynamics and advance Conley is just as good at explaining why two teammates came to blows in the middle of a timeout as he is on what the club demands to do to decode a switch-heavy defense So who better to sit down with twice a month to tackle different topics ranging from the Timberwolves to the NBA at large to well Mike Conley than Conley himself This is the third season of Conley s Corner Conley s Corner Turning the page Mike Conley was overtaken by tears last May as he left the floor following Encounter of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City It had happened again For the second straight year the Timberwolves were denied on the doorstep of the veteran floor general s first-ever NBA Finals appearance Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley speaks with referee Tyler Ford during the first half of Contest of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Oklahoma City ThunderTuesday May in Oklahoma City AP Photo Nate Billings Minnesota felt as though it let an opportunity slip through its fingers in against Dallas The Wolves had home-court advantage in that series and allowed themselves to get beat by the Mavericks two best players in critical spots too multiple times in succession The loss to Oklahoma City was different The things that got Minnesota to the West Finals no longer worked against the Thunder The Wolves solely weren t good enough in key areas to hang with the eventual champs That was apparent by the series end And yet this loss hit Conley harder Last season was following a script of a movie of champions of years past You get knocked down in pursuit of the pinnacle one year only reach the mountaintop the next The second time in a row is like Oh we learned something from last year You look back at all those teams this is how it happened Conley declared It s part of the deal and we re just next in line Let s do it It didn t work out that way Frustrating he declared Conley reported his emotions as he left floor were seemingly the the majority real for me than they d ever been He knows how precious opportunities to contend for a championship are Minnesota missed out on another one Suddenly a flood of emotions and thoughts entered his mind ranging from how far he has come as a performer to now to wondering if he d get another real shot at a championship Black hole Conley likens the hours following a playoff exit to the immediate aftermath of a minor car accident It happens and you re like What just happened That was scary he reported You start thinking about all the things that could have been or not been and you re just thankful but you re like Whoa that was crazy It s like that kind of shock Then it hits you The season is over Players like Conley are so goal-driven that during a season scarce thoughts enter their minds beyond what they and the company can do to improve their chances of claiming a championship He calls these eight-to-nine months like a black hole You just go in and then when it s done it clicks and you re out and you re like What just happened Conley revealed Like I was just gone for six months you know what I mean You re in a trance state for a while So what happens when you pop back out and realize you didn t complete the ultimate mission It s tough to get through all those emotions all those things that may be hovering in the background that you don t let get to you So you feel something he revealed Like Was that my last encounter Whatever it is whatever your situation is All those thoughts feelings rush in They multiply for Conley with each passing season He knows how hard it is to play into May and June The Timberwolves have similar designs this season but there are no guarantees in sports So when you get close you feel like you have to finish the job And when you don t real grief is waiting for you on the other side It s depressing he stated I m sure people can t relate but not too a great number of guys get the chance to play in the NBA and when you get that opportunity like we do and you come up short it s like real depression for like weeks Back to work You won t see Conley out enjoying himself in citizens shortly after a playoff exit Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley dribbles down the court during the first half of an NBA basketball preseason tournament against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday Oct in Minneapolis AP Photo Abbie Parr I don t want to be seen out eating I don t want to go nowhere he stated It s almost like an embarrassment I don t want to be seen by anybody You just feel so terrible about the situation So Conley goes back to the place he knows best the gym There he can bury himself in his work Just hours after that last competition he was at the Wolves practice facility At a m Anthony Edwards was there as well You can t run from the hurt You re going to feel that way anyway Conley noted The best way for me is perpetually to try to get right back into my routine Every time you re in the weight room every time you re shooting or something you re like Man I m not going to miss this shot again he added It just kind of gets you going forward toward another year It s apparently why I keep trying year after year to give myself another chance It s why retirement isn t an option Ending the pursuit short of the ultimate destination would require a few emotional management training I don t know how to cope bro Conley joked I ll be around Even if I don t play a minute I m just going to be around I ll be dressed up in my routine doing what I do until I somehow get a ring The chase continues The birth of a new league season brings the NBA Draft Summer League and a fresh cycle That s when Conley feels himself turning the page and transforms thoughts from What went wrong into How can we improve But that s in July at which point it s time for him to begin gearing up physically for the upcoming campaign Inevitably he s confronted with the fact that he spent most of of his true offseason wallowing in his disappointment Before I knew it it was August and I was coming back to Minnesota for my kids to start school Conley explained It just happens really rapidly If I could get out of that rut I could enjoy my summer a lot more But it seems as if Conley s only chance to break the cycle is to break through and win that elusive first title So the chase continues into Year Conley joked that he now checks in with his body in the morning in the same way people open their car hoods to inspect the engine I ll be like This don t work in the present day My ankle don t work in the modern day My knee don t work currently My hip my back whatever something random Conley noted And I m like Forget it I m still going to go down to the facility and do what I ve got to do and get after this thing again Because the thought of the goal achieving the goal is so great to me that is just pushes me to want to do it more regardless of how I feel Aches and pains don t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream Hopefully I ain t got to feel that again Conley noted Hopefully we can figure it out