After welcoming 3rd child, Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley shows he's Denver's latest problem

SALT LAKE CITY — On Wednesday, Mike Conley was reminded what it was like to be a fan. All alone in a hotel room, minutes away from where his team was playing Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, Conley started to sweat.

He shouted at the screen and sent texts to his teammates, even though full well he wouldn’t get a response. Locked in quarantine, he could do nothing but cheer (and scream) from afar. In that circumstance, the point guard known for his calming demeanor was anything but calm.

“It was very hard for me,” Conley said. “I'm not a guy that gets nervous during games but I was about as nervous as you can get.”

He was nervous watching. He wasn’t nervous playing. After missing the first two games of the first-round series due to the birth of his third son, Elijah, Conley returned to the court on Friday. That’s a place he’s just a bit more comfortable. And maybe it's no surprise the newly-minted father of three had an affinity for, well, 3s.

Conley scored 27 points and tied a Jazz playoff record with seven made 3s in Utah’s 124-87 win over the Nuggets in Game 3.

“Yeah, it felt it felt really natural,” Conley said. “Coach made it really easy on me, the players made it really easy on me.”

Last Sunday, Conley left the bubble in Florida for Columbus, Ohio to be with his family following the birth of hs son. After a day with his new child, Conley returned to Orlando Monday night so he could begin his four-day quarantine and be available for Friday’s Game 3.

During those four days, he was only allowed to go outside for 30 minutes a day — time he spent by dribbling a basketball in a parking lot. The rest of the 23-plus hours he was stuck in a hotel room thinking about his family in Ohio and also returning to the court with his teammates. So when Friday came around he was more than itching to play again.

But even the most optimistic thoughts might not have conjured up what actually happened when Conley actually returned. A game-high, a franchise record, and a 37 point win? Not a bad return.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he’s a terrific player,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “He’s found a rhythm as the season’s gone on and it shows. Obviously, it was important for him to go home and be with his family. I know how glad our guys were to see him back. He played a terrific game. Really, that’s who he is.”

It’s Conley’s first go around in the playoffs with the Jazz, but he’s long on postseason experience.

In 2017 in his last playoff series, Conley averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 assists and shot 44% from 3 as the No. 7-seed Memphis Grizzlies took San Antonio to six games. He’s also been in the Western Conference Finals before and his Grizzlies team was one of the very few squads to hold a series lead (2-1 in 2015) against the Warriors during their championship dynasty.

“I know how to play. I’ve been here before,” Conley said. “I know what I’m doing, just shutting out all the noise and going out there and having fun.”

Conley is just another weapon an already struggling Denver defense has to deal with. But after how things went with Conley in the lineup, it might be a short-lived problem for the Nuggets.

His stepback 3 near the end of the first half stopped the only Denver push of Game 3, and his floater at the buzzer of the third quarter pushed all the Nuggets rotational players to the bench for good.

The Jazz’s dominant performance meant Conley got to return to a spectator role for much of the final quarter as the Jazz let Miye Oni, Jarrell Brantley and Rayjon Tucker finish the game. But this time, watching didn't bring any extra nerves.

“I always play for my kids, especially now with a third, just makes it that much more evident, that much more of a purpose when you’re out there playing,” Conley said. “But really, it was just a joy to be out there with the guys. I know how much they’ve supported me throughout this process.”

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