Bogut hopes Allen plays in Game 6: 'I think it would be a good matchup for us'

If it were up to him, Andrew Bogut would rather have Tony Allen on the court than on the sidelines.

But it's not out of the kindness of Bogut's heart or in the spirit of sportsmanship. No, Bogut wants Allen on the court because he believes it would actually benefit the Golden State Warriors in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

"Hopefully he does (play). That'd be great," Bogut said, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. "We're not really affected by that. I think it would be a good matchup for us."

Allen took center stage in the Grizzlies' two victories in Games 2 and 3. He helped shut down the Warriors' lethal perimeter attack and openly flaunted his status as a two-time All-Defensive first-team player.

However, the Warriors made a key defensive adjustment in Game 4 which turned Allen into a liability. Bogut was tasked with the assignment of checking Allen, which basically amounted to Bogut leaving Allen at every opportunity to play a one-man zone in the paint. That strategy shut down the Grizzlies' already strained offense and forced Allen off the court.

Allen then missed Game 5 due to a hamstring injury. Without him, the Memphis Grizzlies lost 101-84 and now face a perilous 3-2 series deficit. He is questionable for Game 6 on Friday.

There certainly is a trade-off to be struck with Allen on the Grizzlies: he bogs down Memphis's offense, but the Grizzlies need his pesky defense against Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry.

So, while it's a bit of trolling on the part of Bogut, he also has a point.