Lakers’ Kobe Bryant Considers Memphis’ Tony Allen Best Defender
The phone call appeared pretty routine. At least it seemed normal enough that the conversation involved just two former teammates catching up.
But then Memphis forward Tony Allen asked Lakers forward Ed Davis something that had stayed on his mind for basically his entire 10-year NBA career.
“How does Kobe Bryant look?” Allen asked Davis early in training camp, aware that the Lakers’ star 36-year-old guard had played just six games last season because of injuries to his left Achilles tendon and left knee.
Davis spent the previous two seasons with the Grizzlies aware that Allen “lives for playing against Kobe.” That explains why Davis viewed Allen’s question as a devious attempt to obtain what Davis called “inside information.” Perhaps it could become useful for when Allen defends Bryant, including when the Lakers (3-11) host the Memphis Grizzlies (12-2) on Wednesday at Staples Center. After all, Bryant averages a league-leading 26.7 points albeit on only 38.1 percent shooting.
So, Davis refused to answer Allen’s question. Davis then exposed his undercover tactics to a reporter, something that left Allen laughing when confronted about the incident.
“I just asked him how Kobe looked,” Allen said in an interview with Los Angeles News Group. “That’s all I asked. He didn’t give me too much anyway, so it was a dead question.”
Still, Bryant raised his eyebrows when he learned about Allen’s attempt at gaining an edge in a matchup that evokes memories of him watching former Lakers forward Michael Cooper defend Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird during the “Showtime Era.”
“That’s the classic art of war. We always have to get some (advantage) any chance you can.” Bryant told the Los Angeles News Group. “Tony knows I’m pretty straight forward. He knows I’m going to try to post him, get to my spots and abuse him. And he’s going to fight me like a dog to keep me off my spots.”
This tactic also explains the thought process between two competitors who believe they both excel and struggle the most when they play against each other.
Kobe Bryant goes to the hoop as Boston Celtics guard Tony Allen defends during Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals. The Lakers beat the Celtics 89-67 to force Game 7. (L.A. Daily News: Hans Gutknecht)
Memorable Battles
Bryant waxed nostalgic about seeing Cooper guard Bird through three NBA Finals (1984, 1985, 1987). Bryant loved how neither player backed down from the physically bruising play that defined the NBA in the ’80s. It’s not a stretch to see some similarities in the Bryant-Allen matchup.
Cooper won the 1987 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the league’s all-defensive first team five times. Allen earned all-defensive first-team honors twice and joined the second team once. Bird is considered among the NBA’s best 3-point shooter, while Bryant ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Cooper’s Lakers had a 2-1 NBA Finals edge over Bird’s Celtics, while Bryant and Allen are squared up 1-1 in Lakers-Celtics Finals matchups (2008, 2010).
“He earned the right to be who he is. I’m basically trying to hold my case as being one of the best defenders in the game,” Allen said. “I’ve been in the league 10 years trying to study (Kobe). But he comes with something new all the time. That’s what makes the competition fun.”
The competition has played out in various ways.
Allen sat out the first three games of the 2008 NBA Finals and then played only 19 minutes for the next three games that ended with a Celtics championship. But in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Allen held Bryant to a 5-of-14 second-half clip and forced seven turnovers. But that hardly stopped the Lakers from winning in seven games.
Allen lasted only eight minutes before fouling out in his rookie debut on Feb. 22, 2005. But then two years later, on Dec. 2007, Allen held Bryant to 22 points on a 6-of-25 clip in a Lakers’ 110-91 loss.
Yet, Allen hardly gloats about his success.
“I don’t feel anything,” Allen said. “Kobe’s confidence level is as high as anybody’s. If he misses, he feels he can shoot it again and will make it.”
Bryant sure can. He has strung together two 40-point games and two 30-point games against Allen in stints with Boston (2004-2010) and Memphis (2010-present).
“I know what to do and he knows how to guard me,” Bryant said. “It’s just a matter of who can get the better of who consistently. There will be possessions where he does a phenomenal job. There will be possessions where I abuse him. It’s a fun battle to see.”
And it’s one that Lakers coach Byron Scott describes as a game of “cat and mouse.” Both Scott and Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger observe Allen repeatedly tries to play physical with Bryant to deny him both the ball and open shots. But both coaches notice Bryant responds both by playing through the contact and compensating with his footwork, pump fakes and off-ball cuts.
“I want them to play against each other for the next 12 years,” Joerger said. “It’s awesome competition and it’s a great thing to be a part of and watch.”
Kobe and Tony Allen had many battles over the years, most notably in the 2010 NBA Finals. (L.A. Daily News: Hans Gutknecht)
Mutual Respect
Bryant displays his love for the NBA’s history and current-day storylines in various ways. He talks endlessly about studying past NBA greats. Bryant will share how he has mentored a slew of current NBA stars. He will gladly discuss up-and-coming players, offering both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism.
Yet, Bryant hardly has shown much enthusiasm for praising a defender, particularly when that player may have contributed to a poor shooting night. When it comes to talking about Allen, though, that becomes a different story.
“He’s fundamentally sound defensively and he plays harder than everybody else defensively,” Bryant said. “He has a competitive desire to compete individually. That’s very uncommon. Most defensive players I face want help all the time. I’ve never heard him ask for help. He likes taking the challenge.”
So much that Allen hardly seems interested in adopting a typical defender’s mentality by undercutting his opponent either through the press or on the court.
“There’s no talking in the battle,” Allen said. “There’s no use for talking. I use everything that I prepare for in the offseason and in practice and the team scheme.”
That mutual respect reached unforeseen heights during the Lakers’ 96-92 win on Dec. 17, 2013 in Memphis.
Bryant reported feeling encouraged that he scored 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting against Allen in only his sixth game since returning from a left Achilles injury that had kept him sidelined for eight months.
“I felt like during that game if I could get to spots on the floor against Tony, I could do it against anybody,” Bryant said. “During that game, I felt really good about it with the limitations I had and how to work my way through them.”
Allen walked away impressed with Bryant’s performance. But Allen also walked away devastated that their knee collision early in the second half resulted in Bryant suffering a left knee injury that would sideline him for the season.
Amid fans accusing Allen on Twitter of causing the injury, he quickly reached out and apologized to Bryant. But knowing Bryant played against him for nearly an entire half on one healthy leg, Allen sat by his locker stall less than a year later still struggling to process it all.
“He does everything. There’s nothing he can’t do,” Allen said of Bryant. “It just shows you he’s a tough-minded guy. You have to respect that.”
Bryant and Allen have a mutual respect for how tenaciously they each play the game. (L.A. Daily News: David Crane)