Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry received the NBA 2105 season Most Valuable Player award prior to the start of Game 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, but after the match, another player, who some believe is also deserving of the MVP title, emerged.

The Grizzlies defeated the Curry-led Warriors in a 97-90 victory which tied the second-round series, thanks to the 22 points made by point guard Mike Conley.

Conley, who was considered the most valuable player in his team for the game, told Yahoo Sports that he went through a lot prior to their victory on Tuesday.

"What I had to endure the past week, I don't think people really understand what I was going through physically. And then mentally with the pressure of playing and knowing that the team needed me to just find a way. And that was the biggest ... finding a way regardless to how I was feeling," Conley explained.

Yahoo Sports noted that Conley was not able to join the previous three playoff games due to a facial fracture he sustained during Game 3 against the the Portland Trail Blazers for the first-round playoff series. He reportedly went to surgery two days after that then was required to rest in bed for about a week. Aside from this injury, he is also said to be suffering from a sprained right foot.

It was definitely hard for him just watching his team play it out against the Warriors in a loss during Game 1.

"Monday was tough because I'm getting all these people telling me they want me to play, they want me to play. My parents are like, 'No, you need to sit, make sure you're healthy," he added. He was not supposed to join Game 2 as per his parents advice but he made a leap of faith and it paid off.

"Before I came on the bus coming over here I was preparing my mind. I wasn't going to get to the arena and go, 'I didn't make a couple shots [during pregame warmups], I'm not feeling good,' and not play. I mentally was ready before I came over. I was in a zone," the player, who wore a protective mask to support his eyebrow, explained.

SB Nation said the second quarter of the game made it worse for the Warriors as Conley continued to score points for the team with Klay Thompson helping him and bringing in 13 points.

Curry, on the other hand, gained his momentum in the third quarter and continued on until the fourth but it was not enough to seal the win for his team.

Speaking about Conley, Curry said the Grizzlies player was "very aggressive to score early."

"And I think they missed that from the point guard position the last game. And that was obviously his mission to start the game coming off the pick‑and‑roll and looking to score, not really looking to distribute at all," the MVP added, as quoted by Yahoo Sports.

Game 3 will be quite tough for the two teams as they try to outclass each other again on Saturday in Memphis.