Karl-Anthony Towns’ greeting to Mike Conley on Friday night could not have been timed any worse.
Conley and Towns’ Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95 on Friday to clinch the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Conley, who has been in the NBA since 2008, stressed the importance of preparing for the team’s upcoming playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.
“What vets do … guys who have won championships … that’s the kind of attention to detail you gotta have. You can’t just go home, play video games. This is the time to do actual work,” Conley said.
Towns then walked into the room and asked Conley if they were going to play a video game together.
“We playing 'Call of Duty' or what, Mike?”
“Watch some film first, then we’ll play,” Conley replied.
Why was Conley so emphatic about preparing for the next team? The Timberwolves played the Lakers on Tuesday and lost, then played the Thunder on Friday, and are now traveling to Denver to begin their playoff series against the top-seeded team in the West. They don’t have time to celebrate making the playoffs; they have to prepare for their series.
Here is the exchange:
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