Tony Allen has not played in the NBA in over six years but still recalls the feeling he had whenever he would beat Doc Rivers. Known for his seven-year run with the Memphis Grizzlies, Allen started his career with the Boston Celtics, where he felt he was disrespected at the end of his time with the team.

Allen told his former Grizzlies teammate, Zach Randolph, that he felt “no greater feeling” than beating a Rivers-coached team. The former defensive stalwart added that he still feels animosity towards Rivers in 2024.

“It was no greater feeling than to beat Doc,” Allen said on the ‘Out the Mud' podcast. “I was in Boston before I came to Memphis… I thought I was family to the Celtics, you know what I'm saying? So to come here to Memphis and catch them on the rebound, with Doc on the other end, it felt like my duty to go hard.

“I felt like, ‘Doc, man, damn, I feel like you should have been there for me bro. I was one of your soldiers.' To this day, man, when I see him across the fence, I still feel like I want to beat Doc.”

As the Celtics' first-round pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, Allen was with Rivers in Boston for their 2008 NBA Championship. He never started more than 34 games in a single season but played a pivotal role off the bench with his defense and leadership for the first six years of his career.

After his rookie contract expired, Allen signed a two-year extension to remain in Boston. He would explain to Randolph that he wanted a third year at the end of his rookie extension but was denied by the Celtics' front office before joining the Grizzlies.

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Tony Allen's record against Doc Rivers

Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (9) during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. The Kings defeated the Grizzlies 91-90.
Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

For the first three years of Allen's Grizzlies tenure, Rivers was the head coach of the Celtics. However, in 2013, Rivers was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Allen would play for Memphis for four more seasons while Rivers was in Los Angeles before ending his career with a 22-game stint with the New Orleans Pelicans.

In 14 total games against Rivers, Allen narrowly edged out the head-to-head games with an 8-6 record against his former head coach. However, in his final year with Memphis, Rivers' Clippers won all three games against the Grizzlies. Allen's last win over Rivers came during the 2015-2016 season.

While he was never much of an offensive threat, Allen was known for his every-game intensity during his playing days. It would be difficult to notice any additional effort he reserved for games against Rivers on tape, considering there was never a night in his career that he took off.