FedEx Forum giving out Tony Allen pepper grinders on Sunday
By John Buhler
The Memphis Grizzlies continue to grit n’ grind despite changing head coaches last season. Former Miami Heat top assistant David Fizdale wanted to bring 3-and-D to The Bluffs, but that kind of fell to the wayside when high-priced wing Chandler Parsons kept getting hurt this season.
Regardless, Memphis has qualified for the Western Conference Playoffs. The Grizzlies look to be the No. 7 seed and will play the Southwest Division rival San Antonio Spurs in Round 1. With a few games left, the Grizzlies organization and FedEx Forum decided to spice things up with the coolest promotion of all-time: Tony Allen pepper grinders.
The Grindfather epitomizes everything that is awesome about this era of Grizzlies basketball. Allen never really became as solid offensive player, but his defensive acumen over the years has made him a no-doubt starter on many playoff-caliber teams.
Memphis will be handing out Allen Grindfather pepper grinders before the Grizzlies’ Sunday evening game against the Detroit Pistons. Detroit may already be eliminated from playoff contention by Sunday evening. If so, head coach Stan Van Gundy may be in rare form, wanting to grind on the officials in the FedEx Forum.
Don’t be fooled. Nobody grinds like Memphis. The Grizzlies will have to play a physical brand of basketball against Detroit anyway, as the Pistons’ best player is defensive-minded centre Andre Drummond who wants all the rebounds. With Detroit’s playoff hopes hanging on by a thread, look for Memphis to beat those playoff dreams out of them on Sunday.
The best part of this promotion is that for years suburban families in Germantown will be using Allen pepper grinders to make their barbecue taste even better. There is a good chance famous Germantown resident and Allen’s teammate Marc Gasol will never use a regular pepper grinder in his life. Though he wasn’t born in Western Tennessee, Gasol is as Memphis as it gets.
Though the Grit N’ Grind era may collapse eventually, we have to believe that Memphis has at least one more playoff series victory left in the tank. Memphis matches up well with San Antonio. It wouldn’t be the first time that the Grizzlies beat the Spurs in a first round series as an underdog.
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If the Grizzlies end up beating San Antonio in Round 1 to presumably face either the Houston Rockets or the Oklahoma City Thunder, pepper will be in the air down on Beale Street. Memphis needs to go all-in and use the pepper grinder as the most creative audience prop in sports. Mississippi State’s cowbell and the Steelers’ Terrible Towel are cool, but Memphis’ pepper grinders will definitely be better, right? Let’s hope so. Keep grinding.