Latest / Bleacher Report / Anthony Edwards & Mike Conley Talk WCF Loss vs. OKC _ 2025 NBA Playoffs

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Anthony Edwards & Mike Conley Talk WCF Loss vs. OKC _ 2025 NBA Playoffs · Bleacher Report

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: And just what did you feel in the first quarter
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: that just allowed them to get on top of you
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: guys so quickly and let the game.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Get out of him. They came ready to play. We didn't.
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: When you lose a game like this, it's not really
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: too much to break down. They just did what they
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: were supposed to do in one a game.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Why don't you think you guys came ready to play?
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: They dominated the game from the tip and can't do
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: no but tip my head of those guys. They came ready, man,
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: So good job by them.
• 0:39
  Speaker 4: Uh. And just what did you maybe learn throughout the
• 0:42
  Speaker 4: course of the series. I know it's r really quick
• 0:46
  Speaker 4: in the aftermath here, but as you kind of maybe
• 0:48
  Speaker 4: reflect on the series a little bit here, what are
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: the the big themes that you take away from this
• 0:52
  Speaker 4: for for your game?
• 0:54
  Speaker 5: Uh?
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: For my game? Yeah? I don't know. I don't know.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Good question. Yeah, I don't know. I haven't really thought
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: about it yet, So good question. I'll come back to
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: you later, Mike.
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: As you kind of think about the journey this team
• 1:13
  Speaker 4: took this year, I know it stings in the moment,
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: but just kind of how do you feel about this
• 1:19
  Speaker 4: team and where it got to at this point in
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: the season.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: You know, we overcame a lot to get to this point.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: It was never an easy road for us at all.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Proud of the way that we you know, gave ourselves
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: this opportunity. Obviously it hurts right now, but you know,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: just looking back at everything that we had to kind
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: of go through and you know, line up changes and
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: different guys, different uh situations throughout the season. You know,
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: nobody thought we'd be in this situation, uh, this time,
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: you know, at this point of the year. So just
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: just got to think of that, think of that as
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: a positive.
• 1:57
  Speaker 5: Mike, Uh, somebody that got and Finch have talked about
• 2:02
  Speaker 5: wanting to win this and win it, you know, for
• 2:05
  Speaker 5: you and just see your success in your career. Where
• 2:08
  Speaker 5: are you just at from feeling from a personal standpoint
• 2:12
  Speaker 5: right now?
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: It hurts, you know, it hurts more than you know.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: I don't think anybody can really feel what I you know,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: what I feel. I can't. I can't ask them to
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: feel that because they haven't been around as long and
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: seeing how you know, few opportunities you get at this,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: you know, this chance. So for me, it's gonna it's
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: gonna take a while just to kind of dissect what,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: you know, what we just did and you weren't able
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: to weren't able to accomplish. But you know, at the
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: same time, proud of my team, Proud of these guys. Man.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: They really fought, not just for me, but you know,
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: just just for the whole team. They did a great
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: job of bonding together in the right time just to
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: give ourselves this a chance. So I appreciate that more
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: than anything. And you know, we're gonna try to stay
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: again next year.
• 3:04
  Speaker 5: And what is I know we talked about this a
• 3:07
  Speaker 5: lot over the course of the years, but two and
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: a half years with Mike, just what is playing with him?
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: You know over that time been like for you?
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: It's been great love Mike call him unc og Yeah,
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: uh disappointed. Couldn't make it happy for him again this year,
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: But like you said, we'll be right back, try to
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: make a habit for him again next year.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Come a little more prepared, be ready.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: We know what to expect, so it should be fun,
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: you know, gearing up for next year.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: And you guys are in the Western Conference.
• 3:42
  Speaker 6: Two years in a row, they were a number one
• 3:43
  Speaker 6: team in the West two years in a row, and
• 3:45
  Speaker 6: how do you view them as an obstacle in the future,
• 3:48
  Speaker 6: and they obviously play a very specialized style unique to
• 3:53
  Speaker 6: the Moon to the Moon, how can you guys prepare
• 3:57
  Speaker 6: between now next year's playoffs to be better against that stile.
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: That's so long from now? I don't know, but yeah,
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: they're great team, well coached. Yeah, top to bottom they're
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: they're pretty good. So just tip my hat to those guys.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: Congrats and happy for 'em.
• 4:16
  Speaker 7: And w w W what would you say, you know,
• 4:18
  Speaker 7: given you know, they have a bunch of suitable defenders
• 4:21
  Speaker 7: and you know, throughout the series seem like, you know,
• 4:23
  Speaker 7: a lot of the ball pressure that they had to
• 4:24
  Speaker 7: g got to you know, some of you guys would
• 4:26
  Speaker 7: a turnover, especially today, Uh whatokie you just say about
• 4:28
  Speaker 7: you know s some of the uniqueness that they have
• 4:30
  Speaker 7: defensively and some of the problems that they getting costs for.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they got a small line up that they throw
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: out there, I think with like Caruso at the five.
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: Just a bunch of different lineups man, stuff that you
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: really don't see kind of like the old Warriors would do.
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: Go small, put Draymond at the five. Yeah, and they
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: super handsy, They uh, pluck at the ball all night.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: They pressure the ball to get you out of your
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: uh comfort zone running plays and stuff.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: So they do a pretty good job man.
• 4:59
  Speaker 7: And then also so like you know, they're it seems
• 5:01
  Speaker 7: like they had inevitable runs kind of in this series.
• 5:04
  Speaker 7: Like game one, you guys, they went out big. You
• 5:06
  Speaker 7: gotta start to get a run. Same thing they come
• 5:08
  Speaker 7: back respond to the game two, same thing. Yeah, same
• 5:10
  Speaker 7: thing that they what you just say about, you know what,
• 5:13
  Speaker 7: how frustrating kind of it is that, you know, being
• 5:15
  Speaker 7: able to respond to each of the punchers that yuh,
• 5:18
  Speaker 7: you know, it's.
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: Not frustrating, men, it's a part of the game. It
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: just a really like I said, man, once again, they're
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: a really good team. Everyone here knows it. Uh, it's
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: no surprise to nobody that this team is pretty good.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: So yeah, they was ready, man, they're they're they're very
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: prepared and like I said before, well coached top to bottom.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: And you wanna go medal. So you know what it's
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: like to be a champ.
• 5:43
  Speaker 8: You know, it's like to get to the championship game
• 5:46
  Speaker 8: NBA side, however, you came up short twice. Knowing what
• 5:49
  Speaker 8: it's like to be on the winning side. How much
• 5:54
  Speaker 8: does it hurt? And what does it feel like to
• 5:56
  Speaker 8: come up short of the finals two years in a row.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: It's exciting. I don't know.
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: I don't know why people would think it would hurt.
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: I mean, it's exciting for me. I'm twenty three. I
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: get to do it a whole bunch of times. I'm
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: hurt more so for myself for Mike. I came up short.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: For Mike.
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: Like I said, we tried last year, we couldn't get it.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: We try to again this year. We're gonna try again
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: next year. But hurting is a terrible word to use.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: I'm I'm good.
• 6:23
  Speaker 8: Yeah, And considering, like looking at Mike and his longevity,
• 6:29
  Speaker 8: how hard it is to get there, does that put
• 6:32
  Speaker 8: this in perspective at all too?
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm go'a work my butt off this summer. Nobody's
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: gonna work harder than me this summer. I'll tell you
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: that much. So yeah, I'll try to make I'll try
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: to make it happen again for Mike.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Mike, uh, just in in this moment that it does
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: hurt so much, But how how much do you look
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: at what you all accomplished this season to and to
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: get here two years in a row, something this franchise
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: has never done before.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: Uh, you know, it's it's it's special to be a
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: part of a team that you know can handle a
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: lot of the adversity that that we went through and
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: and you know, come out on the other end and
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: be in this situation that we're in. You know, it's
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: disappointing for us, disappointing for our fans, disappointing for everybody
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: at the moment. But man, we work, you know, we
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: we do the right things. We you know, come in early,
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: leave late. We do everything we can to try to
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: prepare ourselves for this this long season and the ups
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: and downs of it. And to be back in the
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: situation against that's a lot about our team, our coaches,
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: our our players, resiliency throughout the season and something that
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: we just got to keep building on, keep learning from.
• 7:40
  Speaker 8: You know.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: It is unfortunate, but like the best lesson is is
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: going through and you know, with your own experience and
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: and these guys are feeling it obviously, I've I've felt
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: this situation and you know, hopefully we just learn and
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: get better from it.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: And Finchy was saying that he had a conversation with
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: you earlier in the season when things were going a
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: little rough, and just said, hey, what does a successful
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: season look like for you? And you said, let's just
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: get to the playoffs, went around and see what happens.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: Given that you exceeded that, Like, how do you view
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: what you guys were able to do?
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: You know, al, we thought it was going downhill. We
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: thought it was old for us. I mean, at one
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: point we was looking real bad. It was it was
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: bad for us.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: Then we had got hurt.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: But like Mike said, we turned around and I remember
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: having that conversation with him, like we just got to
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: get to the playoffs and we'll figure it out. So, yeah, man,
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: we we did pretty good this year. Man, we just
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: came up short again, and yeah, try to do it
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: again next year. And does it take a little while
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: like last year to realize the finality.
• 8:43
  Speaker 7: To realize how close you might have gotten once once
• 8:48
  Speaker 7: the conference final lens.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: How close I might have gotten to the finals? Yeah,
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: I mean we lost. I can't I can't think about
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: how close I might have gotten. Loss. That's all that.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: That's how that matters.
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: They was the better team. They came out and beat us,
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: punched us in the face, and we lost the game.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: We lost a series.
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: And when you said, Nobod's gonna work harder than you
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: this summer, do you have a any these particular things
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: that you want to work on cutting into this off season.
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm not gonna give out their information. Yeah, I'm
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: gonna keep that uh in house this time.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: Mike.
• 9:23
  Speaker 5: What was from a basketball standpoint, what was missing to
• 9:26
  Speaker 5: be able to to win this series?
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Well, I just I think you look at the way
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: that they played, you know, and their movement, their body movement,
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: their connectivity in the sense that you know, their their IQ,
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: the things that they were doing, the the adjustments they
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: were making were just a level above us. You know,
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: we were just a step slow at all those things,
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: which kind of gave them, you know, one st Yeah,
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: they were. They were like on one string. Defensively, they
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: had a they had a plan, they executed it, and
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: they didn't deviate from it. You know, those guys really
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: really locked in on that. And you can tell on
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: both ends of the floor it didn't matter, you know,
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: who scored, who had the ball. They were just finding
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: finding an open person and making the next reason and
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: things that you know, we've gotten better at but we're
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: you know, still working towards I think, so, you know,
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: we got a lot of room to grow and and
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: get better at it.
• 10:27
  Speaker 9: The last question that Jace Mike orient uh seemed like
• 10:30
  Speaker 9: watching them play defense kind of reminded me of watching
• 10:32
  Speaker 9: you guys in like the Denver series a year ago.
• 10:35
  Speaker 9: Just the physical tenacity and really taking it to them.
• 10:38
  Speaker 9: Not a bad defense this year by any stretch, but
• 10:40
  Speaker 9: not at that level. What is it gonna take, in
• 10:42
  Speaker 9: your mind or as it possible to get back to
• 10:43
  Speaker 9: that level of defense?
• 10:46
  Speaker 7: Good?
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: You've had it, you know right now, I'm not sure,
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: but I know that, you know. The frustrating part is
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: that we've we've we've had that level of defense and
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: that we need to, you know, whatever that is to
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: get it back. We have to find that that effort,
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: that attention to detail this at this stage, I think
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: it was more the details that we were slipping on,
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: not so much the effort, not so much the personnel.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: We had a lot of guys that can guard, a
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: lot of guys that that just one on one can guard,
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: and the team defense and stuff like that, but it
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: was slippage on the next steps. You know what I mean,
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: Like the higher you know, i Q things that we
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: have to just get better at. So I think those
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: are things that will have to improve for us next season.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: Thanks Ens,