While there is plenty to be excited about with the current state of the Memphis Grizzlies, sometimes fans can't help but reminisce about the “Grind City” days, led by Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Tony Allen. Allen was one of the most elite perimeter defenders in the NBA in his prime, and recently, the former Grizzlies wing created a hilarious moment by narrating a perfect 12-12 shooting night he had vs the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015-16 season, per Grind City Media.
“Mouse in the house!” Allen exclaimed at one point, referring to a situation where an offensive player has a clear physical advantage over the defender guarding them.
“Don't go under no screen,” he said during another play in which he knocked down a perimeter jumper. Allen would finish the game, which took place in March of 2016, with 27 points on the aforementioned perfect field goal percentage. The Lakers, however, would go on to win the contest, a bit of a surprising result considering that Los Angeles was one of the league's worst team that year while the Grizzlies made the playoffs.
While the Grind City Grizzlies had their chances, including a Conference Finals appearance in 2013, they were never quite unable to get over the hump in a Western Conference filled with elite teams throughout the 2010s.
Although he quipped about it in the video, going under on screens when guarding Allen was the exact strategy that the Golden State Warriors used to defeat the Grizzlies in the 2015 playoffs after going down in that semifinals series 2-1. The Warriors would go on to win the championship that year, with the Grizzlies playing them as tough as anyone during that playoff run.
Still, there's no denying that Allen was one of the elite perimeter defenders of his time, one who has been consistently cited by several NBA scoring legends as one of the toughest players to ever guard them.
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