OAKLAND, Calif. – The bright lights of Oracle Arena, the screaming by the Golden State Warriors fans, even the sound of the buzzer – all of it was bothersome for Mike Conley Jr. What was even more painful for the injured point guard was seeing his Memphis Grizzlies struggle without him.

Conley missed his third straight playoff game during the Grizzlies' 101-88 loss to the Warriors in Game 1 of the second-round series on Sunday. This much was evident: If the Grizzlies hope to make this a series, they're going to need Conley back on the floor.

Conley has not played since suffering a facial injury in Game 3 of Memphis' first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 25, but he sat on the bench on Sunday. Memphis has lost two of its past three playoff games without him and it's uncertain when he will return.

"Today was a big step being able to go in front of the crowd and the loud noise," Conley told Yahoo Sports. "I did all right. All the horns and stuff really aggravated it. But it was all right.

View photos Mike Conley was on the Grizzlies' bench, but not available to play in Game 1 against the Warriors. (Getty Images) More

"It's very tough because I know how much I mean to the team and the organization. We understand we have a chance with the team that we have put together. Our time is now."

Conley suffered a facial fracture – resulting in a swollen left eye and bleeding – when he was accidentally hit in the face by an elbow from Portland's C.J. McCollum. His left eye is red now, but he said that means the bleeding has stopped. The Grizzlies listed Conley as out indefinitely after he had surgery to repair the facial fracture on Monday.

Conley attended Wednesday's playoff game against the Blazers. In hindsight, he would have probably been better off staying in bed.

"The worst part immediately coming out of surgery … was I had not ate and I was throwing up, throwing up and throwing up the whole rest of the day," Conley told Yahoo Sports. "It was because of the pain meds because I needed them because of the pain. I couldn't deal with the pain. I couldn't deal with throwing up. I couldn't eat.

"I felt weak. I felt like I had a fever. …I was like, 'This is the worst feeling in the world.' I felt like that for two days and then I was able to get up for the game on Wednesday. It was the first time I was able to go to the [arena] and just watch the guys."

Conley did light shooting drills and running prior to Game 1 while wearing a protective mask. He admitted to having vision issues while shooting and said the condensation inside his mask was bothersome. He is expected to soon get a stronger mask that will better protect him from re-injury if he is hit.

While it wasn't much, Conley's light workout was better than being stuck in bed.

View photos Conley suffered a facial fracture in Game 3 against the Trail Blazers. (Getty Images) More

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