Tony Allen fondly remembers the rivalry against the Oklahoma City Thunder

With his relentless Memphis Grizzlies squad, Allen went toe-to-toe against OKC in the past decade. Living up to his reputation as a defensive stud, he was a significant component of both teams' competitive rivalry in the Western Conference, during which he notably embraced the bold challenge of guarding the offensive wonders of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

As a fierce competitor, playing against the Thunder so many times every year, whether it's in the regular season or playoffs, has only made TA appreciate the team's wild homecourt.

TA picks OKC arena as one of the best

In a past appearance on the Chris Vernon Show, Allen was inquired about the top NBA arenas he played during his career. In no particular order, the Grizzlies icon initially mentioned the home turfs of the Los Angeles Lakers (Crypto.com Arena), Sacramento Kings (Golden1 Center), Cleveland Cavaliers (Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse), Portland Trail Blazers (Moda Center), and the New York Knicks as his main preferences.

But when the discussion finally brought up Oklahoma City (Paycom Center), Tony instantly changed his list by putting the Thunder over the Kings.

"Shout out to Oklahoma, man. … I had 27 points in one of them games. It is the epic Grit-and-Grind game. I know them stats like yesterday," Allen said.

A memorable rivalry out of OKC crowd

Allen was particularly referring to his road matchup against the Thunder back in the 2010-11 season. With 27 points, 5 steals, and 4 boards, he powered the Grizzlies over OKC for a gritty 105-101 overtime victory.

Regardless of stating this game as a major reason why he possibly picked the team on his list, Allen surely savored every moment of facing the Thunder from the past. Other than having a hard time dealing with the brilliance of KD and Russ-led OKC, TA and the Grizzlies had to endure the hostile and raucous environment that the OKC crowd presented against them during their playing days.

From 2010 to 2017, Allen carved a 9-10 by battling the Thunder 19 times in each of the regular seasons while wearing a Grizzlies jersey. He and Memphis collided with Oklahoma City in three postseason encounters in four straight seasons, wherein their series matchups in 2011 and 2014 reached seven grueling games.

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