The 2010s were the decade when the Memphis Grizzlies franchise finally took on an identity. Founded in 1995 in Vancouver, the Grizzlies were nobodies in the NBA. Up to the 2010 season, they made only three playoff appearances and never won a single playoff game. But things changed in 2011 when the Grit and Grind era was born.
Six-time All-Defensive team member Tony Allen coined 'Grit and Grind' and personified it with his relentless defense, earning him the moniker 'The Grindfather.' Looking back, Allen discussed how the motto was born during his recent appearance on the ' Forgotten Seasons ' podcast.
Allen traces its roots to a February 8, 2011, game between the Grizzlies and the OKC Thunder. In that contest, Grizzlies star forward Rudy Gay was a late scratch due to an injury, which surprised T.A. because Gay had played 40 minutes the night before in Los Angeles.
"Rudy, you ain't playing?" Allen recalled asking Gay. "'You just windmilled the other night.' He like, 'My toe hurt.'"
With Gay out, Allen got his starting spot and also earned the right to defend OKC Thunder superstar Kevin Durant on the other end. While Tony welcomed the opportunity to prove himself, he was mad at Rudy for sitting out the matchup.
Grit and Grind was a message for Rudy
Allen finished the game with a season-high 27 points on 9-12 shooting in 40 minutes of playing time. More significantly, he had five of the Grizzlies' 11 steals in the game, three blocked shots, and four rebounds while hounding KD all night.
Durant still finished with 31 points on 12-25 shooting, but Allen made him compete for every point. Kevin got off only one shot in overtime and committed a crucial turnover because of Tony's pesky defense. The Grizzlies won 105-101 in OT, and after the game, Fox Sports sideline reporter Rob Fischer pulled over T.A. for a short interview.
"I remember looking at Rob Fischer," added Allen. "He was like, 'T.A., this was a stellar performance, we didn't even know you had this in you. Where did this come from?' And I was just so mad that I said, 'It's just all heart, grit, grind.' And so it was really directed towards Rudy. Like that's what I was going to tell Rudy in the locker room, but they stopped me…That was the start of the era."
Best times in Memphis
After that win over the Thunder, the Grizzlies improved to 27-26. Memphis then finished the regular season strong, 46-36. They made the playoffs as the 8th seed in the West and went on to stun the top-seeded Spurs in the first round of the playoffs 4-2.
Gay ended up getting traded in 2013. With Allen, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol defining the team's identity with their tough defense, Memphis made seven consecutive postseason appearances from 2011 to 2017. They had three consecutive 50-win seasons from 2013 to 2015 and even made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2013, where they were swept by the Spurs.
Like all good things, the Grit and Grind era came to an end after the 2017 season when Allen and Randolph left in free agency. Less than a month after their departure, the Grizzlies announced that Allen's No. 9 jersey and Z-Bo's No. 50 jersey will no longer be worn by another Memphis player and will be retired once their careers are over.
Related: "There definitely was an altercation" - O.J. Mayo on the notorious airplane fight with his "good friend" Tony Allen
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