It’s apparently all over now. Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson was cleared to play in Game 1 after passing the NBA’s concussion protocols this afternoon after media availability.
Here’s a rehash of the events leading up to what could have a been a series-altering development.
The Hit
In the third quarter of Game 5 against the Houston Rockets, Thompson got kneed in the head by Trevor Ariza:
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At first, it was ruled that he passed concussion protocols during the game. Thompson reported back to the bench, when assistant coach Luke Walton noticed Klay was bleeding from a laceration on his ear (not from inside his head).
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that the bleeding forced Thompson to go back to the locker room. After that, when Klay returned to the bench once more, Kerr said the Warriors had the game in hand with about five minutes remaining and he had no strategic intention to put Thompson back in the game.
“We were rolling with the group we had and we were going to just stay with the group regardless,” Kerr said.
Incidentally, Ariza told Thompson after the game had ended that the knee to the head was not intentional.
Amid controversy about whether or not the Warriors really knew if Stephen Curry suffered a concussion in his fall in Game 4 against the Rockets, scrutiny was sure to be at “DEFCON 1” with Thompson’s seemingly severe blow to the head, with the bleeding adding to the “wow” factor.
Symptoms Appear That Night
Thompson celebrated the Western Conference Finals championship with his teammates, but it wasn’t until later that night when the concussion symptoms appeared.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle got the chance to interview a doctor familiar with concussions:
“Sometimes there’s a tendency to jump on the trainer or team physician and say, ‘Oh, how could they let that guy return?’ or ‘How could they not know that he had a concussion?’” said Dr. Vernon Williams, a neurologist and the director for sports neurology and pain medicine at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. “But the truth of the matter is: You can’t look at the blow or the fall or the hit and tell if a concussion occurred, so we rely on a series of questions and tests and maneuvers to decide that there doesn’t appear to be a concussive injury.
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“Still, things can evolve hours or even days later.”
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Thompson showed no acute symptoms immediately. He even celebrated the team’s conference-clinching win, danced with teammates on the court and carried out an interview with ESPN’s Doris Burke, during which he was intelligible and called her by name.
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An hour later, however, the concussion symptoms started. Thompson, who already had admitted to being a little woozy, asked his father to drive him home — where he vomited twice.
There was some confusion around this, as Thompson’s agent, Bill Duffy told Sam Amick of USA Today that Klay had passed initial concussion protocols. Amick later wrote that there is a general lack of understanding of concussions.
As Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “only 9 NBA players had concussions in ’13-14 season”.
The Warriors released a statement confirming the concussion symptoms the day after Game 5:
Klay Thompson Injury Update pic.twitter.com/A9fG1XGRNl
— GSWStats (@gswstats) May 29, 2015
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Game-Planning For Possible Absence, Or Not
On Friday, a day-and-a-half after the concussion, Tim Kawakami suggested that Justin Holiday could be a good strategic replacement if Thompson were not able to return for Game 1, but Kerr seemed confident, saying, “I think so,” when asked about Klay’s probable return in time for the start of the Finals.
As Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote:
But again, “I expect him there,” Kerr said.
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And it sounds like Thompson does too. Though he wasn’t available for questions, Thompson is not depressed or worried that he won’t be back for Game 1, Kerr said.
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“Klay’s disposition never changes,” Kerr said. “He’s always just mellow and he just sort of takes it all in stride. It’s good that we have this break, because he has the time to go through what he needs to get through.”
And as reported by Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, assistant coach Ron Adams told 95.7 The Game on radio he thought Thompson would be ready for Game 1, saying, “He looks bright-eyed, bushy-tailed.”
Attending An Oakland Athletics Day Game
On Sunday, Thompson was seen partaking an Oakland Athletics baseball game, less than 24 hours after Curry accepted an invitation to see a San Francisco Giants game the night before.
Wearing sunglasses, Klay took a seat among the crowd and spent some time visiting with A’s players in the clubhouse after the game ended.
As Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group wrote:
The Warriors All-Star doffed his cap and pointed to the A’s logo when he was shown on the scoreboard before the fourth inning and received more loud cheers when he left his seats before the eighth inning. Afterward, Thompson visited with the A’s in their clubhouse, where he was given a bat, some batting gloves and other A’s gear.
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Thompson didn’t address his health status, saying only, “You’ll find out tomorrow,” when asked by The Associated Press if he’ll practice Monday.
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Simply being at the game is a good sign, as sunlight and loud noises — both givens at a daytime baseball game with 25,457 fans in attendance — are often triggers avoided by those dealing with concussion symptoms. More positive news also came in from Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams.
Klay Practices
On Monday, Thompson attended Warriors practice, as reported by Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
Though Thompson was able to practice, he has not yet been cleared to play in the actual game.
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“Klay went full-bore at practice; he looked good,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s continuing to go through the league-mandated protocol. Each day, he has progressed and looked great.
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“But the doctors will continue to evaluate him and we’ll take it day by day.”
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Thompson spent more than two hours practicing with the team and then participated in an individual workout for another half hour.
After Klay re-joined the team, center Andrew Bogut joked that it was hard to tell if Thompson had symptoms of a concussion or not, as Simmons wrote:
“Wednesday night was tough,” Thompson said. “… My head was still shook. I felt like my equilibrium was off. I just didn’t feel normal.”
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Thompson said he woke up Thursday feeling better and had a huge breakfast. By Saturday he was jogging and taking jumpers, and by Monday he was cleared to participate in practice, while taking breaks every 15 minutes.
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“The same as always, so I don’t know if he still has it or not,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut joked. “With Klay, the pre- and post-concussion symptoms are the same.”
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Thompson laughed when he was told that his aloof mind-set and relaxed manner of speaking made his teammates joke that it’s impossible to tell when he has a concussion.
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“This time might have been easier with the ear bleed,” Thompson said. “That sounds about right, though.”
Still, Thompson was not officially cleared by the NBA and would have to wait until after practice the following day.
Klay Cleared
As media entered the practice facility on Tuesday, it was clear that Thompson was back to his normal self, at least shooting around.
Klay Thompson shooting workout pic.twitter.com/IJHnWxIKba
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) June 2, 2015
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Things seemed even more “back-to-normal” as Klay went on the air with ESPN’s Marc Stein:
Klay goes on ESPN with Marc Stein… #Warriors pic.twitter.com/emMCWd89h8
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) June 1, 2015
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“I feel great, honesty,” Thompson told reporters at the media scrum, but he wouldn’t be evaluated until an hour later.
And an hour later, sure enough, Thompson was cleared to play in Game 1.
Klay Thompson, I'm told, has just been cleared to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 2, 2015
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(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via trendytron)
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