Tony Allen had the difficult task of trying to guard Kobe Bryant in the 2008 NBA Finals, and he turned to a mentor on the Celtics.
The 2008 NBA Finals saw the renewal of a classic rivalry. The Los Angeles Lakers were set to face the Boston Celtics, decades after their last encounter in the Finals.
The two teams dominated the NBA throughout the 80s and were finally back on the big stage together. In the end, the Celtics, thanks to their Big Three, would win the NBA championship.
Kobe Bryant‘s first return to the NBA Finals since 2004 ended in heartbreak. The loss would light a fire under Kobe he would carry into the 2008 Olympics.
But how were the Celtics able to stop Bryant? Well, according to Tony Allen, he relied on a strong Celtics teammate who was a defensive mentor.
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Speaking on the Knucklehads podcast, Tony Allen spoke about having to guard Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals. Allen noted that he learnt a lot watching James Posey.
Posey, much like Allen, was an excellent defender, and he tried to replicate his defensive performances whenever he shared the court with Kobe.
“Back then, it took so much out of me to prepare for him. My teachings came from James Posey. I watched Posey prepare for that man. I really took his whole DNA. The way he prepared for the game…”
“I asked him one day what he’s looking at, he said ‘I’m looking at tendencies. So I know when I get in these situations, I’m prepared.’”
Playing alongside Posey in the 2008 NBA Finals and learning from him helped Allen guard Kobe Bryant well, and it played a big part in the Celtics winning an NBA championship.
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Coming into the 2010 NBA Finals, James Posey was no longer on the Celtics. This meant Allen had to take on the responsibility of guarding Kobe Bryant without his mentor.
Allen did do a good job against Bryant in that series. But in the end, Kobe and the Lakers were able to get by and earn a crucial Game 7 win to win the NBA championship.
Kobe Bryant was able to learn from his experience playing against Allen and figured out how to adapt to his game. While Kobe didn’t render Allen’s defense futile, he was able to overcome it.
This is the mentality that makes Kobe Bryant, along with Michael Jordan, a cut above LeBron James. And it allowed the Lakers to raise banner number 16 in L.A.
