Edwards motivation and Conley s nightmare s different feelings about the two generations elimination of the Western Conference Final

(The original text was published on May 29, and the content of the article by Marc J.Spears on Andscape website does not represent the translator's views)

When Queens' "Don 't Stop Me Now" resounded in the Paycom Center Arena, and the Thunder and fans celebrated their advancement to the NBA Finals, Timberwolves guard Mike Conley walked off the court in a daze. The 37-year-old and 229-day veteran knows that his 18th NBA season once again ends with a championship ring. In the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves were eliminated with a 94-124 defeat. This is the third time Conley failed in his career in the Western Conference Finals and the second time he returned in hatred in the past two years. In a fiercely competitive league of 30 teams, he understands more than anyone how precious the opportunity to reach the finals is, so it seems particularly heartbreaking to lose again.

"When I left the game, I was full of 'stop repeating', which was simply a nightmare." Conley admitted to Andscape, "Listen to the celebration music and the cheers of the fans, you can only pray that this is not the last chance. Every detail that flashed through my mind wanted to remember, not to forget it, nor to become the final chapter of my career."

Although no one knows what the future will be, the impact of stopping the threshold of the finals on Timberwolves All-Star guard Edwards is far less profound than Conley. Conley admitted that the age difference has created a world of difference in mentality between the two. Edwards, who was only 23 years old, won the Olympic gold medal with the US men's basketball team last year, and entered the Western Conference Finals twice in the first six seasons of his NBA career.

To be commendable, Edwards told Andscape that he would give more hard training than anyone else during the offseason. When asked how painful it was to miss the finals for two consecutive years, the young core showed a completely different perspective: "It's exciting. I don't think we should suffer, it's motivation for me. I'm only 23 years old and there are plenty of opportunities in the future. What really makes me feel bad is Conley, who is sorry for him. We tried it last year, tried it again this year, and will continue next year. But the word 'pain' is too heavy, and I'm in good shape now."

Conley's perspective is indeed very different. He didn't make it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time until 2013, when the Grizzlies were swept by the Spurs and his career record in the Western Conference Finals was only 2 wins and 12 losses. Edwards, a third-year student who averaged 23 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the Western Conference Finals, is already a three-time All-Star, and his golden period of his career has just begun.

"To be honest, I can't expect him to understand this feeling." Conley said of Edwards to Andscape. "I don't think he really understood it. He has a lot of time, and he knows it himself. But for me, at the other end of my career, I know how precious the opportunity is. The pain is so profound, and I'm so eager to win the championship, not only for myself, but also for this group of teammates." Conley, Edwards and the Timberwolves will soon realize that this night will be the end of the season. This team, which started the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference (49 wins in the regular season), eliminated the Lakers and Warriors and entered the Western Conference Finals one after another. Their opponent, the Thunder, advanced to the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals with a best record of 68 wins and 14 losses, just one step away from the first time since 2012 and the second final in the Thunder's history.

Thunder showed a devastating dominance at the beginning, and established an advantage 26-9 in the first quarter. Although the Timberwolves were 33 points behind at halftime (32-65), Conley still firmly believes that the team can launch a Jedi counterattack. The facts proved that the veteran's judgment was too optimistic. When the third quarter was left 7 minutes and 36 seconds left, the Thunder expanded the lead to 73-43, and did not give the opponent any chance to counterattack since then, and finally locked in the Western Conference championship without any suspense.

"I thought we could still have a counterattack climax in the early third quarter," Conley recalled. "But no matter how we scored, they could immediately suppress us with a 6-0 orgasm or continuous score. I realized at the time that the situation was too difficult to reverse. If the score difference could not be within 20 points, we would have no chance. By the end of the third quarter and early fourth quarter, that feeling was over, and it might have ended."

Edwards' summary was more straightforward: "They were ready for the battle, but we didn't."

Although Edwards accepted the defeat calmly, he was indeed saddened for Conley.

"I love Conley, I call him uncle or old cannon," Edwards said. "I was disappointed that I didn't realize my dream this year. But next year we will make a comeback, be more prepared, know more clearly what to expect, and preparing for the new season should be fun."

When Conley tried to calm down in the locker room, he finally picked up his phone and saw multiple positive and encouraging messages. Among them is a message from his wife Mary, who is staying at her home in Minneapolis with their three young sons.

"She just said three words: 'It's so regretful'. I know she doesn't know how to comfort me," Conley told Andscape. "She knows how much time I have invested, how much sacrifices I have made to keep basketball away from my family, and how I have adjusted my body and mind after each failure. I will call her back later, but the pain is still real."

After Conley and Edwards attended the post-match press conference, they boarded the team bus to the airport and prepared to return to Minneapolis to start off the offseason. Waiting for Conley in the corridor is his father, Olympic gold medalist Mike Conley Sr.

My father's Olympic journey that year actually provided Conley with the motivation to win. When Conley, the old man won the silver medal in the men's triple jump at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics at the age of 21, he won only fourth place in the 1988 Olympic Trials. But at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, 39-year-old Conley successfully redeems himself and won the men's three-level long jump gold medal..

"I understand his feelings," Conley Lao told Andscape, "I was optimistic about winning gold but I didn't realize my dream until 1992, but you have to keep striving. The key is that he chose to join a competitive team. Now he has done it, and the next thing he needs to find a breakthrough. It's very difficult, and it was also a tough battle for me."

Next season will be the last year of Conley's contract with the Timberwolves, and this will be the 19th season of his career, just one step away from reaching the 20th season milestone. While Edwards' contract with center Gobert is still around, the team's lineup may face a drastic change: forward Randle and center/forward Naz Reed hold the player options, and key substitute guard Alexander Walker will become a full free agent.

The uncertainty in the offseason may have exacerbated Conley's anxiety about missing the finals, but his love for basketball is still hot. He will continue to pursue his ultimate dream in the new season, as he is nearly forty.

"I am in good health," said Conley, who averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 assists per game this season. "I can still run and jump and complete the tasks needed by the team. Retirement will never be due to physical function problems. When that moment comes, it will naturally come to an end."

Even though Conley finally ended his career with a no-champion, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch firmly believes that he will eventually win the ring he has dreamed of in other identities.

"Conley is extremely lost now," said Coach Finch. "Putting other factors aside, we all want to go further and win everything for Conley. This is what he means to the team and his charm in dealing with people. Fortunately, we can still have him next season. In this league, the key to success is to hit the highest stage as much as possible... Winning the championship is difficult, but perhaps Conley will realize his dream in another way. It may win the cup as a coach, or it may win the championship as a general manager. The future is full of infinite possibilities, and we will continue to fight for him and this team to the end."

Original text: Marc J.Spears

Translated by: Li Taibai