The Minnesota Timberwolves reached the Western Conference finals for the second straight season on Wednesday night with their Game 5 win over the Golden State Warriors.
The Wolves, led by superstar guard Anthony Edwards, will look to bounce back after last year’s disappointing performance in the conference finals, which saw them lose to the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
Minnesota has plenty of motivation heading into the series—avenging last year, every player’s championship dreams since childhood, cool ring—but one motivating factor in particular stood out to Edwards and big man Rudy Gobert as they spoke to reporters after their win on Wednesday night: getting veteran teammate Mike Conley a title.
“We’ve been through a lot with Mike. I love him. More than anything I want to win for him,” Gobert said. “I just know how much he cares about winning, how great of a guy he is. I want to say I want to do it for Joe [Ingles], but I don’t care about Joe actually.”
“Ultimate vet, Mike Conley,” Edwards agreed of Conley. “He’s the best vet you could ask for. Plays through everything. Never complains. Always knows the right thing to say. Always knows where to be. Great guy to look up to, for sure.”
“More than anything I want to win for [Mike Conley]… the best vet you can ask for”
– Rudy and Ant after the @Timberwolves reached the WCF tonight 🗣️💯 pic.twitter.com/4okUcsBhc5
— NBA (@NBA) May 15, 2025
Conley, 37, is nearing two decades in the NBA, and has spent stints as a teammate of Gobert with both the Jazz and now Timberwolves. Despite his age, Conley is still a major contributor for the Wolves, averaging more than 24 minutes per game so far through the postseason.
Even more than his contributions on the court though, it’s clear that Conley is a leader that has earned the respect of his teammates in the locker room.
