Klay Thompson diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms, could face NBA protocol

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors may need this break before the NBA Finals even more than they knew.

Long after their Game 5 win over the Houston Rockets was complete and they had celebrated their franchise's first trip to the Finals in 40 years, the team announced that shooting guard Klay Thompson had developed concussion-like symptoms. If it is ruled that he had a concussion, he would be required to follow the NBA's concussion protocol.

That process has no set timeline, but could certainly have kept him out of a potential Game 6 with the Rockets had Golden State lost. Luckily for them, the finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers doesn't start until June 4.

Thompson had been hit in the head by Trevor Ariza at the 9:31 mark of the fourth quarter, when the Rockets forward bit on a pump-fake and jumped so high that his knee hit Thompson's ear. He went to the locker room at that time, and was put through a concussion evaluation by the Warriors' medical staff. According to a team release, he did not show any concussion-like symptoms then, but later began "to not feel well and developed concussion-like symptoms."

Even his father thought he was fine.

As Mychal Thompson waited for Klay in the Warriors' family inside Oracle Arena, the former Los Angeles Lakers forward and current Lakers broadcaster thought it was time to celebrate the happiness of the win and his son's health.

"They went through the concussion protocol and everything, and he's fine, just mostly suffering from the cut (on his ear)," Mychal had told USA TODAY Sports before Klay exhibited the concussion-like symptoms.

There will still be celebrating to be had, to be sure, especially considering the Warriors have reached this point without Klay playing his best basketball.

In five games against the Rockets, Thompson – who averaged 21.7 points per game on 46.3% shooting overall and 43.9% from three-point range in the regular season – averaged just 17.8 points on 41.7% shooting overall and 34.1% from beyond the arc.

"His shot was off a little bit, but he didn't let it get him down mentally," Mychal Thompson said. "That's what I like about him. I'll use Kobe (Bryant) as the example. If Kobe's shot is off, he never loses confidence in himself, never gets down, and always keeps a positive body language and a positive outlook."

Mychal knows what it takes to win it all, as he won two championships with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988. He sees the Warriors winning it, even with LeBron James & Co. looking so determined to bring the city of Cleveland their first Cavaliers title.

"It's definitely a thrill for me, and more a thrill for him," Mychal said. "I know how hard it is to get to the Finals, and it's even harder to beat a team led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. But still you've got to enjoy the moment. It's a great accomplishment. But they've got a longer road to go until they can feel satisfied. Tonight, be happy, but not satisfied. It's going to be a tough six or seven-game series. LeBron is that great. If Kyrie is healthy, I could see it going seven games."

The following is the relevant portion of the NBA's policy that could now come into play.

— A player that is diagnosed with concussion should have their physical and cognitive exertion limited as much as possible while they are still experiencing symptoms of concussion.

Return-to Participation Decisions:

— Once a player is diagnosed with a concussion he is then held out of all activity until he is symptom-free at rest and until he has no appreciable difference from his baseline neurological exam and his baseline score on the computerized cognitive assessment test.

— The concussed player may not return to participation until he is asymptomatic at rest and has successfully completed the NBA concussion return-to-participation exertion protocol.

Return-to Participation Protocol:

— The return to participation protocol involves several steps of increasing exertion -- from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills.

— With each step, a player must be symptom free to move to the next step. If a player is not symptom free after a step, he stops until he is symptom free and begins again at the previous step of the protocol (i.e., the last step he passed without any symptoms).

— While the final return-to participation decision is to be made by the player's team physician, the team physician must discuss the return-to-participation process and decision with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the Director of the NBA's Concussion Program, prior to the player being cleared for full participation in NBA Basketball.

— It's important to note that there is no timeframe to complete the protocol. Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.