A Few Things About Tony Allen Kicking Chris Paul in the Face

That’s Chris Paul getting kicked in the face by Bolo Yeung Tony Allen last night in the Clippers-Grizzlies game. Here’s a GIF if you prefer your flying kicks in that format …

Here are my reactions to this incident, in no particular order:

1. Note Paul not wanting anything to do with Allen afterward. This is not a bad thing. Quakers call it nonviolent conflict resolution. Smart people call it “walking away from Tony Allen after he kicks you in the face.”

2. Memories. Sometimes I forget whether Paul likes to, in the words of Slap Shot, muck it up in the corners. And when that happens, I like to watch Paul landing a cheap shot on Marc Gasol, or Paul nut-tapping Julius Hodge, or, of course, Paul losing his mind because Pau Gasol touched his head, which prompted the post, “Don’t Touch Chris Paul’s Head!” which to this day is some of my best work. Paul is no stranger to conflict. You will note, however, a decided lack of interest in conflicting with Allen on Paul’s part.

3. This is probably due to being kicked in the face. When this happens, the first impulse is to go sit somewhere and make sure your face is still there and working the way you need it to. Breathing, chewing, seeing … you just want to check all the boxes.

4. Raise your hand if your eyes immediately went searching for Matt Barnes.

5. Allen rubbing his shin is everything …

This is a classic “running a red light, getting in a fender bender, and then exiting your car and putting on the neck brace you carry around in your backseat for just such an occasion” move.

You’ll be OK, Tony.

6. Allen is still the best, though:

Grit 'N' Grind forever.

Filed Under: Chris Paul, Chris Ryan, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA