Tony Allen spent six years in Boston with no clear role — at some times he was a fringe starter, at others, he wasted away at the end of Doc Rivers' bench. Now he's featured prominently every night with the Memphis Grizzlies, and on Wednesday night, he returns home.
With the Grizz lacking Rudy Gay for the rest of the season, T.A. now has job security as a starter under coach Lionel Hollins. The 29-year-old wing guy began the season coming off the bench, but he's since worked his way up the ranks.
In 63 games this season, Allen has averaged 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 19.2 minutes. He's also emerged as a key defensive stopper
In all likelihood, we'll see two Allens guarding each other Wednesday night, as the Grizzlies' Tony goes up against his former teammate, the Celtics' Ray Allen. That should be fun.
Here's the lineup card for C's-Grizzlies:
Celtics
Rajon Rondo, PG
Ray Allen, SG
Paul Pierce, SF
Kevin Garnett, PF
Nenad Krstic, C
Grizzlies
Mike Conley, PG
Tony Allen, SG
Sam Young, SF
Zach Randolph, PF
Marc Gasol, C
