Maybe it's a case of very low expectations… but I actually saw a couple of things that I liked out of Tony Allen last night.
Alright, let me clarify.
This is definitely a case of extremely low expectations, because I saw some things out of Tony Allen that didn't make me taste my own bile.
His line from last night was… oh, let's go with… "underwhelming". 6 minutes, an assist, a rebound, no points and a couple of turnovers.
BUT…
One turnover came on an aggressive move to the basket that resulted in a charge call. He wasn't out of control. It was more good defense than a bad decision.
The assist came on a play where Tony has, in the past, made a bad decision. Instead of forcing a shot or putting his head down and either dribbling it off his foot or bowling someone over, he made the extra pass.
Am I reaching a bit to praise Tony Allen? Probably. Am I trying to convince myself that he might be able to hold the fort for the next two months until Marquis Daniels comes back? Maybe. Am I being lazy by resorting to the "ask your self a question and then answer it" cliche so you can get to your main point. Definitely.
I'm kinda going with the old Mr. Burns line when I look at Tony Allen's performance last night. "I know what I hate… and I don't hate this." Tony Allen didn't suck last night. Part of it might be because he didn't play enough to suck. But part of it is because he made some decent decisions out there in his limited time.
I don't know what that's going to mean down the road. I don't even know what that's going to mean for tomorrow night's game. But positive Tony Allen stories are few and far between nowadays… so let's just savor the moment.
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
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