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Grizzlies' 'Masked Assassin' stuns Warriors and upstages MVP Stephen Curry

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry was given the NBA's Most Valuable Player award by league commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday night before Game 2 of their playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies. For the Grizzlies, however, the true MVP of the night was the man in the mask standing across from Curry for much of the game: point guard Mike Conley.

"What I had to endure the past week, I don't think people really understand what I was going through physically," Conley told Yahoo Sports after he scored 22 points in a 97-90 Game 2 victory that evened the second-round series. "And then mentally with the pressure of playing and knowing that the team needed me to just find a way. And that was the biggest … finding a way regardless to how I was feeling."

Conley missed the previous three playoff games after suffering a devastating facial fracture in Game 3 of the Grizzlies' first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 25. He had surgery two days later and was bedridden for much of last week. On top of that, he also has been dealing with a sprained right foot that caused him to miss the final four regular-season games.

With Conley sitting out the second-round opener, the Warriors cruised to a 101-86 victory as his replacement, Nick Calathes, went scoreless. Conley worked out before Game 1, but was still in pain. Even the bright lights and sound of the crowd bothered him.

"Monday was tough because I'm getting all these people telling me they want me to play, they want me to play," Conley said. "My parents are like, 'No, you need to sit, make sure you're healthy.' "

Conley's teammates told him he should play in Game 2. His parents, however, wanted him to rest another game.

When Conley boarded the Grizzlies' charter bus in downtown San Francisco for the ride to Oracle Arena on Tuesday afternoon, he made a decision to play. Still, he didn't know what to expect.

"Before I came on the bus coming over here I was preparing my mind," Conley told Yahoo Sports. "I wasn't going to get to the arena and go, 'I didn't make a couple shots [during pregame warmups], I'm not feeling good,' and not play. I mentally was ready before I came over. I was in a zone."

Conley wore a clear, protective mask that had extra support over the eyebrow and the top of the nose where he had stitches. His left eye remains bloodshot red. His conditioning also wasn't up to par, so he expected to be rusty.

Then the game started.

Conley was aggressive and made all four of his shots in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer, to score nine quick points. His energy was also contagious for the Grizzlies.

"He seemed very aggressive to score early," Curry said. "And I think they missed that from the point guard position the last game. And that was obviously his mission to start the game coming off the pick‑and‑roll and looking to score, not really looking to distribute at all."

Said Grizzlies guard Tony Allen: "He came out there and surprised me."

The Grizzles were up 36-32 with 4:58 left in the second quarter when Conley fell to the floor with the ball and called timeout. Warriors forward Draymond Green reached down to try to snatch the ball from Conley and hit him in the face. The Grizzlies got the timeout, and quickly ran to check on Conley while complaining to the Warriors.

"I told him, 'I ain't gonna hurt yours [point guard],' " Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph said. " 'Don't hurt mine.' "

The referees reviewed the play for a "hostile act" and found nothing. Green said he had no intention of hurting Conley.

Conley "was on the floor trying to call a timeout with the ball in the air," Green said. "But before [the referees] called a timeout, I snatched the ball and my hands hit his face. I would never try to hurt anyone on purpose, let alone a guy I have a ton of respect for. Just watching his career, the way he works and being really undersized, a really small guy, I have the utmost respect for him."

Conley started cramping in the fourth quarter. He said the lack of water he drank in recent days was the problem. Despite the pain, he buried a 3-pointer with 2:13 left in the game to give the Grizzlies a comfortable 90-80 lead they would never relinquish.

"He's obviously a big part of their success over the last few years, not just this year," Curry said. "So they're more comfortable when he's on the floor, and you can tell. They kind of know what to expect, especially on the offensive end."

Said Allen: "Mike Conley, he's the 'Masked Assassin.' "

Conley has never been an All-Star in his eight NBA seasons. He doesn't have a flashy game, and playing in small-market Memphis hasn't helped his profile.

But on a night that he described as the proudest of his career, Conley was the best player on the court. In the process, he snatched the spotlight from the NBA's newest MVP.

"I feel like I've done a lot to deserve a little respect," Conley told Yahoo Sports. "Just a little bit."