Thank you, TNT, for putting a microphone on Tony Allen.
The Memphis Grizzlies forward is one of the most, um, peculiar players in the NBA. He’s known first and foremost for his lockdown defense, but there’s something about Allen that seems a little … off. So it was quite a treat for hoops fans to see Allen mic’d up Tuesday night as his team took on the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their second-round NBA playoffs series.
Allen only scored nine points, but he played a team-high 37:24 and was instrumental in helping to shut down the Golden State defense as Memphis stole home-court advantage with a 99-90 win. Allen was, of course, an instrumental piece in shutting down NBA MVP Stephen Curry, who scored just 19 points on 7-for-19 shooting in the losing effort.
But back to the microphone. Allen was wired for the game, which allowed us all to hear this gem as he helped make a defensive stop in the eventual win.
One of the best parts about this is, for at least one game, Allen was able to back up what he said prior to Game 2. He was asked about Curry and while he said Curry certainly deserved to win the MVP, Allen wasn’t going to be in awe or anything like that when they took the floor together.
“He can shoot the ball pretty good and he got a nice handle,” he said, per CSN Bay Area. “But it ain’t nothing I ain’t never seen before.”
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
