Utah Jazz veteran point guard Mike Conley is the owner of one of the more respectable records throughout his current 13-year tenure in the NBA. Over this entire span, the 32-year-old has yet to be called a single technical foul — a record that Conley himself admitted to be something he is extremely proud of.
“I'm very [proud of] it,” Conley says, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“I think it's just human nature, in a sense. The refs are trying to do the right thing. They're trying to make the right calls, but if you put a lot of pressure on them as far as being in their face, it's embarrassing. They don't want to get yelled at a fourth, fifth time.”
This is certainly a testament to Conley's composure and ability to stay calm in the most intense situations. With the adrenaline running so high in each and every moment of an NBA game, it's definitely a challenge to keep one's emotions in check at all times. To his credit, this is something Conley absolutely excels in, and is truly one of his most admirable traits.
Then again, the former fourth overall pick shared one pitfall to holding this type of reputation. According to Conley, being too nice also has its downsides.
“If I were more vocal, more in their face, maybe that [referee] is like, ‘Oh, I don't want him to go off. I know he's going to go off if I blow this whistle and it's 50-50.' That's where it kind of hurts me,” he explained.
Conley will be making his return to his old stomping ground on Friday, as the Jazz face off against his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Emotions will definitely be running high for the Ohio State alum, but knowing Conley, he should still be able to keep it together quite well against the Grizzlies.