Conley on Grizzlies' mask-adorned Game 3 crowd: 'Most special time I've had here'

The Memphis Grizzlies are slowing down the Golden State Warriors with their grit-and-grind style. Their disciplined team defense is chasing the world's deadliest shooters off the line. And the crowd at FedEx Forum is outperforming the one at Oracle Arena, widely considered to be the best in basketball.

The Grindhouse was absolutely lit on Saturday as the Grizzlies topped the Warriors to take a surprising 2-1 series lead. The home fans' impact wasn't lost on the Grizzlies, who had boasted that FedEx was louder than Oracle prior to the series - when the Warriors weren't pumping in fake crowd noise.

On Saturday, The Grindhouse was adorned with yellow "Memphis vs. Errrbody" towels and black masks to honor Mike Conley, who returned swiftly from a facial fracture to make it back for Game 2 and help swing the series. The gesture touched the generally understated point guard, who has spent his entire eight-year career in front of this same Memphis crowd.

"It was a wonderful experience, to be honest," Conley, now dubbed The Masked Assassin, said after the win. "I have to say that's probably the most special time I've had here in Memphis, with all the masks everywhere and knowing why they're wearing them. It was truly an honor to be a Grizzly tonight. I'm just proud and happy that we got the win."

As much as the crowd noise likely fired the Grizzlies up, it almost came at a cost. Conley, who played 32 minutes after playing only 27 in his return on Thursday, admitted to pushing himself too hard early in the game, in part because the fans had him too excited.

"I felt a little bit better early on," Conley said. "As the game went on, I think I exerted too much energy. I think I let the crowd get me a little too hype. My adrenaline was kicking in and at one point I just lost all the energy. I have to find a way to balance and do a better job of that."

Conley finished 3-of-10 from the floor with 11 points and five assists, a more humble performance than his 22-point return. He also cramped up a bit late in the game, at one point favoring his groin and requiring some brief attention on the sidelines, but he was able to play the final 7:22 of action. That issue continued Sunday, with Conley requiring a pre-practice IV.

A strong defender who has helped keep Steph Curry from getting clean looks off of screens, the Grizzlies have yet to lose in the playoffs when Conley plays, and Memphis has been 19.5 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor.