Mike Conley has missed his team’s last three playoff games, after undergoing facial surgery due to an injury he suffered in the first round against the Blazers.
Portland was ill-equipped to handle Memphis even with Conley sidelined, but the Grizzlies now face a similarly tall task against the Warriors, even if Conley returns to the lineup at full strength.
After sitting out his team’s 15-point Game 1 loss, Conley appears ready to give it a go in Game 2 on Tuesday.
From Michael Wallace of ESPN.com:Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley hopes to return for Game 2 of the Grizzlies’ playoff series against the Golden State Warriors after participating Monday in his most extensive workout with the team amid his recovery from facial surgery.
“I believe I will,” Conley said when asked if he will play Tuesday. “But I believed that for the last week. So I’m really hopeful. They tell me I can play once I’m ready, and I feel like I’m ready to go. It’s just on me.” ...
Memphis coach Dave Joerger said he still considers Conley doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Warriors but indicated a final decision won’t be made until just prior to the start of the game.
If the decision is truly Conley’s to make, he might have already made it.
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He posted a picture of himself wearing a protective mask to his Instagram page, with a caption that reads “Gameday focus.”
Conley averaged 16 points on 50 percent shooting in 26.3 minutes per contest in three first-round games against the Blazers -- all of which resulted in Memphis victories.
