The best "Kobe stopper" - Tony Allen?

[TA9]

From Tony Allen's twitter profile:


That's a nice compliment coming from Kobe. I remember Tony doing one heck of a job guarding Kobe in the 2010 NBA Finals (still annoying that we didn't win the series...).

Do you guys think that Kobe was serious about calling Tony the best defender that he has ever faced, or was it just a nice gesture from his side.

Worth noting that this isn't the first time that Kobe has praised Allen for his defense;

He’s fundamentally sound defensively and he plays harder than everybody else defensively. 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.

"The player I had the most trouble with, individually, was Tony Allen. Always," Kobe said.

The 6-4 Allen, a three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team player, matched up against Bryant in the 2010 NBA Finals. Even though the Lakers won the championship, Allen helped hold Bryant to 40 percent shooting for the series, with a team-high 27 turnovers.

[alldaboston]

He's said multiple times in recent years that TA was his toughest defender.

[Thruthelookingglass]

I might have thought Bruce Bowen (another one-time Celtic) might have been the best, but I don't think Kobe or many Western Conference players were too fond of him and there was talk about how Bowen took cheap shots. 

Anyway, it's nice of Bryant to give TA props.  I liked TA when he was here, despite the "what the . . . ?" moments.

[pearljammer10]

He's said multiple times in recent years that TA was his toughest defender.

This.

[mgent]

Most NBA fans (even most Celtic fans) have no clue how elite TA's defense truly was.

[hwangjini_1]

best kobe stopper?






father time. 

[BornReady]

Tony Allen easily best Kobe defender
He can get up in his face and force him to take bad shots
Has a similar size to Kobe
And is strong and athletic enough to keep up with him
Plus he has remained disciplined enough of knowing that being a defender is his best skill and talent so he is always locked in defensively, in every game

[SparzWizard]

Sigh. Should've won in 2010, straight up robbed.
Now If only we didn't drop Game 3.
If only Perkins didn't go down in Game 6.
If only the refs did not award Lakers 21 free throws in the 4th quarter in Game 7 smh.

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen celebrating their team's 18th championship banner at Staples Center would have been amazing to see.