As Anthony ´The Ant Man´ Edwards continues to provide devastating dunks, and high-rise Rudy Gobert coolly knocks down his free throws, Mike ´Mr. Clutch´ Conley motivates his Minnesota T-Wolves teammates in whatever way possible. The veteran Conley´s sole mission at the moment is an NBA championship, a prize that´s eluded the pesky point man for 16 seasons. If Conley keeps draining rainbow threes, he stands a great chance.
Can Ex-Griz Lead T-Wolves to Title?
Not many expected the T-Wolves to battle toe-to-toe with Jokic and the defending league champs, the Denver Nuggets. But they now stand on the verge of the 2024 NBA Finals, with only the Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks impeding their passage in the West. Other key protagonists for the T-Wolves include Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaden McDaniels, and sterling sixth-man Naz Reid.
Although Conley, with a constant twinkle in his eye, looks like he´d fit right in with a pack of snarling T-Wolves in the middle of the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Superior National Park, you might not guess that the wily warhorse didn´t receive his first technical foul in the pros until 2014. But that slap was reversed by NBA officials the very next day, leaving Conley without a single T in 34,000 minutes of action as of May 2024.
What´s more, Mike´s been in the playoffs 11 times in his illustrious career, yet he´s never gotten his hands on the hardware. Not meaning to sound too egotistical, he recently asked his T-Wolves mates to win it for him. “I told the guys that selfishly, do it for me, man,” exclaimed the bearded one. “Help me out. Meet me at my level right now because I don’t got long.” Before the series against the outmanned Phoenix Suns, Conley quipped:
“My urgency is at an all-time high. I don’t think there’s anybody on either team that wants it more than me.”
Longstanding Memphis fan Lori Climer witnessed Conley guiding the Grizzlies on seven straight playoff runs, including a Western Conference Finals showing against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. During that period, Mike´s “cool” personality helped to chill everyone.
“In my 22 years of being in the media, my two favorite people that I’ve covered are Kurt Warner and Mike Conley. It’s because they’re so genuine. They’re real human beings. I’ll always root for Mike, no matter where he’s at,” Grizzlies sideline TV reporter Rob Fischer enthused.
May Minnesota Rise Above Its Ghosts
Minnesota fans are a lot like the T-Wolves they choose to cheer on. They´re both starved for a championship. The Vikings came agonizingly close in the 1970s with Fran Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters but lost four Super Bowls. (Actually, the record books show that the Vikings did bring home a championship in 1969 before the AFL-NFL merger.) The North Stars have always shone so brightly, but at the end of the day, they never came close to the Stanley Cup (though the franchise is now making NHL noise in Dallas). Only the Twins were able to call themselves World Champions, most recently in 1987 and ´91.
Superstar Kevin Garnett—who was the 2004 MVP—spearheaded the T-Wolves to a Western Conference Finals showdown versus the L.A. Lakers, which they eventually lost 4-2. KG went on to help lead the Boston Celtics to their last title in 2008.
Minnesota icon Garnett has also spoken out about his distaste for T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor, who earlier this year went back on his promise to sell the franchise, claiming potential buyers Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore went missing at the closing deadline. Rodriguez and Lore, already minority owners, fired back at such claims, and the adversaries are allegedly in arbitration to work out the spat. Garnett himself once put together an unsuccessful bid to purchase the T-Wolves.
Not to miss his moment in the limelight, ´A-Rod´ Rodriguez has looked spiffy in fine threads, smiling widely from his front-row seat during recent Minnesota games (though some fans wonder if he´d be better off strolling down Broadway or getting lost in the Bowery).
Senior NBA reporter Vince Goodwill captured Mike in one of his best Minnesota moments.
“Only thing I know is to love hard in every situation I’m in. Once the summer happened and working out with guys, I decided I’ll have to address the team in a different way than they’ve heard in the last few years,” Conley concluded.
That kind of T-Wolves´ howl is what it will take to get this team completely over the hump.
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Many of veteran hoops writer Will Beebe´s relatives call Minnesota home. His recent book, Soccer Giants of Brazil: One American´s Take on Samba Soccer Culture, is now on Amazon. | www.soccergaintsofbrazil.com | Connect with Will on X: @WABeebe11
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