NBA-League veteran Conley rides out
lockdown with 'HORSE'
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[April 16, 2020]
By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) - After 13 seasons
in the NBA, Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley Jr. might have thought
he had seen it all - that is, until he found himself playing HORSE
on ESPN live via webcam on Sunday.
Competing on an empty court, away from fans, competitors and the
glamour of a professional arena, the two-night NBA HORSE challenge
tournament, a single-elimination basketball shooting competition, is
far from normal for Conley - but he'll take it.
"It’s definitely tough mentally not to have the game right now, to
have a sense of normalcy in anybody's day-to-day life," Conley told
Reuters from his Columbus, Ohio home, where he has hunkered down
since the coronavirus outbreak prompted the postponement of the NBA
season last month.
In the one-on-one HORSE competition format, one player describes the
shot they are about to take and if they make it their rival must
recreate the shot.
If the second player misses, they accumulate a letter in "H-O-R-S-E"
and the first player to get all five loses.
The 32-year-old Conley, who defeated hall-of-famer Tamika Catchings
in Sunday's first round to set up a semi-final clash with five-times
All-Star Chauncey Billups on Thursday, said the nerves are still
there, even in the unorthodox competition format.
"As soon as they call your name to shoot a shot, I’m like, ‘Oh my
God, my turn,’ and like, ‘What are people going to expect me to
do?’" said Conley, the all-time leading scorer for the Memphis
Grizzlies, where he played before being traded to the Jazz last
year.
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Jazz guard Mike Conley (10) dribbles up the court against the
Washington Wizards during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home
Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports/File
Photo
"I don’t want to miss a layup, just because you get nervous and
don’t know what to do," he said. "Immediately once you make your
first shot, the competitive side kicks in and the creative side of
you (thinks), ‘Alright, how do I win?'"
With fierce competitor Billups next on the horizon, Conley said he
is working on some more creative shots, including spins and a
one-leg shot.
The three-times NBA sportsmanship award winner has kept busy binging
on TV shows like the drama "Designated Survivor," with documentary
sensation "Tiger King" next on his viewing list.
He said he would be open to more shooting competitions in the future
if the NBA season stays on hold.
"If we’re going to be holding the fort down and there’s not much
sports on TV obviously, for sports fans, this gives people something
to kind of fill that void, scratch that itch," said Conley.
The semi-finals and championship round of the NBA HORSE challenge
are expected to air Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT, Friday) on
ESPN.
(Reporting By Amy Tennery; Editing by Toby Davis)
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