Carmelo Anthony has been suspended for 1 game without pay...all because of him pulling an old school tactic of waiting for Kevin Garnett by the bus.

Deets inside...

After Monday night's exchange of words...several times...landed off the court and in MSG's tunnel where the opposing team boards their buses, Carmelo got handed his punishment today.

Melo said he just wanted to "talk" to Celtics baller Kevin Garnett about some things.  But we all know what could have gone down had things escalated further.  And Melo has yet to comment about Kevin's alleged "Your wife tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios" jab about LaLa.

NBA EVP of basketball operations Stu Jackson said about the suspension today:

"There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for a player to confront an opponent after a game.  Carmelo Anthony attempted to engage with Kevin Garnett multiple times after Monday's game and therefore a suspension was warranted."

We're sure this all comes as a surprise to Melo, since he told reporters during Tuesday's practice, "If you just go off the actual facts of what happened, I don't think anything will happen."

Oh...but it did.  He won't suffer any REAL loss of cash or anything with his $60-million 3-year contract in tact.  But it's just the principle.

We'll see what goes down when the Knicks travel to Boston in a few weeks for a rematch.  Get ready...