Memphis Grizzlies legend Tony Allen goes after Draymond Green on Twitter

If you ever wanted to see a former Memphis Grizzlies player argue on Twitter over stamps, you’ve come to the right place.

On a serious note, Grizzlies legend Tony Allen and Draymond Green have found themselves at the center of Twitter’s most recent NBA beef. Self described by Draymond Green, the two were just “talking basketball,” but the exchange was pretty heated.

The interaction began with a SportsCenter tweet which quoted Draymond Green as saying that he thought of himself as the “greatest defender to ever play in the NBA.”

Tony Allen took this personally, as he is on a relatively long list of players who are considered better overall defenders than Draymond is. It’s not a knock at Green, just the simple fact that his game is is well-rounded, but not as strong defensively as Allen’s was.

Memphis Grizzlies legend Tony Allen made it clear that he thought he was a better defender

Here’s the original tweet:

https://twitter.com/aa000g9/status/1374417927269535750?s=21

Tony Allen may not have been the flashiest player, but he was known to have the ability to lock up any NBA player you threw against him. Draymond, on the other hand, tends to play smarter. He’s got good instincts, but isn’t necessarily as strong of a 1-on-1 defender as Allen was.

The interaction would continue though, with Draymond Green clapping back at Tony Allen. Here’s what Green had to say:

"“I was waiting on you to stamp me Big homie, but your stamp book started running low in 2015 when we used you against your team on the way to my 1ST championship.”"

Clearly, Draymond Green had taken offense to Tony Allen’s comments.

Green’s reply is in reference to the fact that the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors met in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals. Due to Allen’s poor shooting, Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr adopted the game plan of leaving the Grizzlies’ defensive superstar wide open on the perimeter, focusing defense elsewhere.

Say what you want about the game plan — it worked.

While Green has a point about Allen’s overall game, it doesn’t necessarily address the specific debate at hand. Yes, Allen was an offensive liability, but that has nothing do with the fact that he was one of the best 1-on-1 defenders in the history of the game.

Tony Allen would get the last word in by saying this:

"Like yo stamp book now? Because it’s 4 on 5 out there right now my boy! #CallKlay"

All-in-all, these are relatively friendly jabs and a great form of entertainment while the season continues. The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors are both competing for a spot in the Western Conference Playoffs, so they’ll be sure to have some more tension as the season progresses.

As of now, the season series between these two teams is split at a game a piece. They’ll get another shot to go after each other in a game that is yet to be scheduled as a result of COVID-19 cancellations.