Last night's double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers definitely hurt the Oklahoma City Thunder roster and coaching staff. That said, the bigger concern was the status and health of teammate James Harden, the star sixth man for the Thunder. After being hit by the elbow of Metta World Peace, Harden suffered a concussion. Some called it a cheap shot and immediately called for a suspension. Thunder players weren't so quick to assume anything, however.
"I couldn't really get a good look at it. I'm just happy my teammate's all right," said Kevin Durant. "It was a bad play. Hopefully Ron didn't do it intentionally or have any malicious intentions on that. But it is what it is. We got to move past that. (Harden) felt good. Obviously, we had to make sure he was all right going down the line. Our trainers and stuff do a great job and we believe in them 100 percent. I'm looking forward to James being back out there."
Head coach Scott Brooks admitted it was a hard play to watch. "It was a bad play. There's no way around it. It's a dangerous play. It's not a play that should be involved in basketball. And it's unfortunate it happened. I know Ron, but unfortunately it did happen. You can't do that. That's unacceptable."
The NBA will likely say something about the matter as they return to league offices after the weekend.
For more on this game Thunder fans should check out Welcome To Loud City and Lakers fans should visit Silver Screen And Roll. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.