Memphis Grizzlies Star Tony Allen Lists OKC as One of the Best Places To Play in NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best arenas in the NBA especially in a playoff environment, as Memphis Grizzlies star Tony Allen points out.

May 3, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (9) reacts to a call in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game seven of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports / Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have quickly joined into the elite franchises in the basketball world, looking at them through the lens of 2008 and beyond it is easy to see that the OKC Thunder have rattled off one of the most successful stretches in that span that the league has to offer.

One of the staples of the 2010s was the Thunder's electric playoff crowds which helped spark the organization to many deep postseason runs and made its return in 2024 en route to a sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans and a hard-fought second-round series against the Mavericks.

A common thread of postseason basketball in that era was the Memphis Grizzlies marching into Oklahoma City to battle the Thunder. Those battles were long, emotional and memorable. On an episode of the Chris Vernon show, former Memphis Grizzlies Star Tony Allen listed the Paycom Center as a top-five NBA area (excluding the FedEx forum).

"Shout out to Oklahoma, man. I had 27 points in one of them games. It is the epic Grit-and-Grind game. I know them stats like yesterday," Allen said when placing the Paycom Center in his top five road arenas.

Allen won just one of three series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in his NBA career, but each set felt massive with drastic swings from game to game.

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