Tony Allen Able to Slow Kevin Durant Down in Game 2

He asked for the challenge of checking the much taller Kevin Durant after the Game 1 loss, and last night when it mattered most, Tony Allen delivered. The Memphis Grizzlies’ defensive specialist took up residence inside Durant’s shirt down the stretch, and helped the Grizz escape with a Game 2 victory. Per the Commercial Appeal: “Tony Allen called the decision to allow him to defend Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter ‘desperate.’ Whatever it was, the move worked and helped render the Oklahoma City Thunder offense helpless in the game’s waning minutes. Almost finishing with a triple double (36 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists), Durant didn’t score again after giving the Thunder an 88-86 lead with 3:18 left. Durant, who mostly dealt with Griz forwards Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Pondexter throughout the game, had Allen draped all over him down the stretch. ‘The thing I can do out there is just cause havoc the best way I can,’ Allen said. ‘It wasn’t me, it was our bigs. They had their antennas up every time (Durant) came off the pick-and-roll, and we lived with whatever he was going to do so far as shooting the ball, but the bigs are the heroes today.’ […] Expect Durant to see more of Allen at key moments, and a team defensive scheme geared toward crowding the Thunder’s leading scorer. The Griz were committed to using Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to trap Durant most of the game. Durant had 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting but couldn’t make clutch baskets against Allen in the fourth.”