Community Picks: Memphis Grizzlies 0% vs Phoenix Suns 0%

Kobe Bryant entered the NBA in 1996, and as a result he’s faced two or possibly even three generations’ worth of defenders. Some, like Dwyane Wade, Reggie Miller or Ray Allen, have made life hell on Kobe by making him work on both ends of the ball. Others, like Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Thabo Sefolosha, and Doug Christie, are just out there to focus on Bryant’s shot-making and little else. One player, former SuperSonics and Blazers forward Ruben Patterson, even designated himself “the Kobe Stopper,” despite little evidence to support as much. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] One player, however, stands out from the pack as the guy that made life miserable the most for Kobe Bryant. Just ask the soon-to-be retired Laker legend himself, in his note to Memphis swingman Tony Allen from Friday night ( via SB Nation ): Salute ✊ @kobebryant #Respect 🙏 pic.twitter.com/vq60gu8XHb — Tony Allen (@aa000G9) February 27, 2016 "To Tony, The best defender I ever faced!" Now, “miserable” is a relative term. Kobe’s teams frequently got the better of Celtic and Grizzlies outfits featuring Tony Allen as the lead defensive dog, but Allen got in his licks. And, as Tony moved on to Memphis and grew greater respect from the NBA’s refs, he was allowed a bit more leeway with the future Hall of Famer when it came to bodying up on the Kobester. Bryant sat out Friday night’s game against the Grizzlies, but that had less to do with being frightened by Allen’s presence and just about everything to do from returning from a three-game Midwestern road trip. Allen, in fact, did not play for the third straight game in Memphis’ 112-95 win , nursing a sore knee. Kobe has a sore everything, but still worked in Wednesday’s loss to the Grizzlies, though he missed nine of 14 shots. NBA and Laker fans are just going to have to get used to the fact that Bryant – who hasn’t finished a season healthy and active since 2012 – is going to sit out several home contests, while suiting up the road games as the league continues to fete him during his final season. Allen, at age 34, sadly will also have his farewell tour come in the next few seasons. It was nice to see Kobe hand him his own retirement gift a few years too early. (It would be much nicer to see these to go at it again, one final time, when the Grizzlies come back to Los Angeles on March 22. Kobe’s already made an attempt, via gifts, to encourage Allen to lighten up on him; but we doubt Tony has that in him.) - - - - - - - Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops Continue to Article

February 27, 2016 11:31:am EST

If Vince Carter has his way - as he did Friday night against the Lakers - there won't be any Kobe Bryant-like farewell tours in his immediate future. Carter scored a season-high 19 points and five of his teammates also reached double figures to help the Memphis Grizzlies cruise to a 112-95 victory over Los Angeles. ''It's hard to even imagine not playing anymore, because I still love playing,'' said Carter, who turned 39 last month. Continue to Article

February 27, 2016 2:20:am EST

The Memphis Grizzlies are known for stingy defensive play that compensates for their lack of offense. The Grizzlies look to build on their best offensive showing of the season and continue their dominance of the Los Angeles Lakers with a sweep of this home-and-home set Friday night. Memphis ranks sixth in the league in scoring defense (99.5), but it's been the offense that's keyed a 12-4 run. Continue to Article

February 25, 2016 10:23:pm EST