Paul George collided with Dwyane Wade late in Game 2 on Tuesday night and it appears it was even more serious than it looked. George said after the game that he momentarily blacked out after making contact with the floor.
Paul George ‘blacked out’ after collision with Dwyane Wade in Game 2
The Pacers forward smashed into Miami’s star guard in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s game.
The two went sprawling for a loose ball after George poked away Wade’s dribble in the fourth quarter. They collided, with Wade flipping over the top of George.
When George went down, it initially looked as though he was holding his face trying to cover his eyes in pain. The situation was typical of the series and of Game 2, which saw players’ bodies strewn about the hardwood multiple times.
Paul George said he blacked out from his collision with Wade, and he tried to play through having blurry vision.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) May 21, 2014 George tried to play through the remainder of the fourth quarter, which was hotly-contested even as LeBron James and Wade took over. Still, the idea of an NBA player battling through a traumatic brain injury brings into question the league's policy on concussion testing.
The NBA concussion policy states that:
If a player is suspected of having a concussion, or exhibits the signs or symptoms of concussion, they will be removed from participation and undergo evaluation by the medical staff in a quiet, distraction-free environment conducive to conducting a neurological evaluation.
George likely failed to update his coaches with the issue of his blurred vision until after the game ended. But with players bouncing off the floor like they did in Game 2, team doctors and league officials will have to be more careful in the future for the betterment of player safety.
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