May 28--All-star shooting guard Klay Thompson needs to pass NBA concussion protocol before he can help MVP teammate Stephen Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
The long hiatus before that series begins on June 4 might be excruciating for fans, but Thompson is lucky to have it after taking a hard knee to his right ear from Houston's Trevor Ariza during the fourth quarter of the Warriors' Western Conference-clinching 104-90 win over the Rockets on Wednesday night.
Thompson received three stitches for an ear laceration and eventually returned to the Warriors' bench. He never reentered the game, although he reportedly had been cleared to do so.
Later that night, the Warriors released a statement saying Thompson had passed a concussion evaluation at the time but "began to not feel well and developed concussion-like symptoms" after the game.
Thompson may have been showing some of those symptoms during a post-game interview with ESPN's Doris Burke, when he mentioned he was feeling "a little dizzy" and at one point needed the reporter to repeat a question.
Still, at that point at least, Thompson had an optimistic outlook about his ability to take part in the showdown with James and the Cavaliers.
"I'll be all right," Thompson told Burke. "A little dizzy, but we got a week off so I'll be all right. I'll get my health back."
