Grizzlies' Tony Allen Suspended One Game for Kicking Chris Paul in the Face

Apparently the NBA doesn't take it easy when its players put their feet in other players' faces. 

Not only was Tony Allen ejected after kicking Chris Paul in the face on a CP3 drive to the hoop, but he's now been suspended for a game, according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck: 

Jared Zwerling, also of B/R, confirms the report and adds that Allen has apologized for his actions:

That's not all Allen has done. He's also expressed his surprise at the league's decision to ban him for a single game. 

Perhaps the league is trying to cancel out the loss of Stephen Curry, who has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a concussion. But it's more likely that it's just trying to enforce the whole idea that, you know, kicking is bad.

Plays like this really aren't acceptable.

It's hard to accuse CP3 of flopping on this one, despite his widespread notoriety as one of the best actors in the NBA. That said, B/R's Grant Hughes did point out in a discussion that Paul's reaction was oddly similar to how he acts when flopping, possibly exposing him as a "method actor." 

But still, let's keep the focus on Allen here. 

It's tough to determine exactly what was going through his mind during this silly play. Maybe something like, "OMG CP3 is going by me must stop in any way possible....what did I just do?" I'm pretty sure he didn't focus on the repercussions before lifting up that leg and making foot-to-face contact. 

Fox Sports even went so far as to call it "Allen's showgirl routine." 

Well, at least he'll be able to kick back and relax on Wednesday night. 

Too soon?