rant answered by feeding Westbrook for a layup, then grabbed a rebound off a miss by Nelson

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Germany midfielder Christoph Kramers head injury in the World Cup final on Sunday has revived concerns about the way football deals with concussions. Dustin Brown Jersey . It was the latest in a series of head injuries at the World Cup that raised questions about the sideline medical checks. Kramer continued playing for 14 minutes in the first half of the final at Maracana Stadium after taking a heavy blow to the face in a collision with Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay. He was eventually replaced in the 31st minute after slumping to the ground, and the German football federation said he had a suspected concussion. It didnt give any more details. Kramer appeared to be disorientated as he was helped off the field by medical staff. In his absence, Germany went on to beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to lift the World Cup. "I cant remember very much but it doesnt matter now," he said, shrugging off the injury. "I have to send regards to my grandmother. She has a birthday today and I couldnt reach her." There were worrying head injuries for players earlier in the tournament. Argentina players Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta also played on in their teams semifinal against the Netherlands in Sao Paulo after hard knocks to the head. Mascherano appeared to be completely disorientated and fell to the ground after a clash of heads with a Dutch player. Both Mascherano and Zabaleta started in the final. Questions about FIFAs concussion protocol were initially raised in the group stage of the World Cup when Uruguay defender Alvaro Pereira refused to leave the field after being hit in the head by an England opponents knee. Pereira lay motionless for a short while and appeared to be briefly unconscious, but was still allowed to come back onto the field and continue playing. Uruguay team doctor Alberto Pan initially made hand signals for a substitution but then seemingly changed his mind after the clearly dizzy player furiously protested. The images provoked criticism from professional players union FIFPro, head injury specialists and others. Pereira later said the blow knocked him out and "was like the lights went out." "I was also not happy with that situation. I must confess that," said Michel DHooghe, a member of the FIFA executive board and chairman of its medical committee. The incidents have led to debate over whether FIFA should allow a temporary substitution so a player can get a head injury properly checked. Top-level rugby, for example, allows players who are suspected of having concussion to leave the field and be looked over by a doctor, and temporarily replaced with someone off the bench. FIFA medical chief DHooghe told The AP earlier in the tournament that he doesnt oppose the idea. Los Angeles Kings Jerseys . Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years. Bach, the longtime favourite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping the presidency in European hands. Jake Muzzin Jersey .com Tour title, closing with a 6-under 64 for a four-stroke victory. The 22-year-old former North Texas player finished at 12-under 268 at Panama Golf Club and earned $112,500 to jump from seventh to second on the money list with $171,500. http://www.authenticlakingspro.com/Butch-goring-kings-jersey/ . Napoli hit two home runs, Jonny Gomes and prized rookie Xander Bogaerts also connected, and the Red Sox kept up their dizzying scoring spree at Yankee Stadium by bashing New York 13-9 Saturday for a fifth straight win. OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Thunder apparently can win ugly, too. The Thunder blew most of a 16-point lead in the final six minutes Sunday night against the Orlando Magic but hung on for a 101-98 win, the 12th in the row to start the season at home for Oklahoma City. The Thunder are the first team in the NBA to open the season with 12 straight home wins since the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008, according to STATS. The franchise last started 12-0 at home to open the 1993-94 season, when the team was located in Seattle. Kevin Durant had 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Russell Westbrook added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for Oklahoma City, which has won six straight overall and 14 of its last 15. The Thunder have beaten the Magic in five straight meetings. But Orlando made it interesting, taking advantage of miscues and missed shots by the Thunder to close the game on an 18-5 run. The Magics Glen Davis missed a potential tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds and Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka blocked a follow by Nikola Vucevic. "I thought our defence was just up and down throughout the night and then we didnt do a great job of executing down the stretch," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "Those are things that we have to continue to work on and do a much better job with that. I think we have been doing a great job of that up until tonight." The Thunders 12-game home winning streak matches their second-longest since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. The Thunder won 14 in a row at Chesapeake Energy Arena from January-March 2012. Arron Afflalo scored 25 points and Vucevic had 13 points and 16 rebounds for his 11th double-double this season for Orlando. The Magic, losers in 11 of their 13 road games this season, proved an unlikely threat to Oklahoma Citys home dominance. "Just good defence by (the Thunder) on our last possession and give them credit for that," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Overall, our guys really believed from beginning to end that we were going to win that game and thats a good start for us." Durant denied that the Thunder were complacent against Orlando. "They kept fighting to the end," he said. "We got some tough breaks, but we were glad we fought it out and got a win. Thhey made a couple of runs but we were able to take the punch and keep pushing. Robyn Regehr Jersey. " A putback by Tobias Harris capped a 9-0 run by Orlando that tied the game at 45-45 with 3:38 left in the first half. After a timeout, Durant scored nine points in an 11-1 spurt by Oklahoma City and the Thunder led 56-49 at halftime. Orlando was within 67-62 after a 3-pointer by Jameer Nelson with 6:21 left in the third quarter, but Thabo Sefolosha had a follow dunk and a driving layup during a 16-7 run near the end of the quarter. Oklahoma City led 96-80 after a layup by Westbrook with 6:11 left. The Magic scored eight straight points and cut the margin to 96-88 on a basket by Victor Oladipo with 3:58 left. Durant answered by feeding Westbrook for a layup, then grabbed a rebound off a miss by Nelson and drove the length of the court for a layup with 3:10 left. That proved to be the Thunders final basket, as they missed their final five shots and turned the ball over twice after that. Oklahoma City finished with 13 turnovers. Nelson hit a 3-pointer - with Westbrook defending - with 31.9 seconds left to pull Orlando within 100-96 with 31.9 seconds to go. Westbrook turned the ball over moments later, leading to a basket by Maurice Harkless with 22.3 seconds left. Durant made 1 of 2 free throws with 13 seconds remaining to extend the Thunders lead to 101-98. Davis missed a 3-point attempt and Vucevic tried to tip the ball in. Vucevic initially was awarded a basket on a goaltending call against Ibaka with 1.3 seconds left. After a video review, officials overturned their call and ruled there should be a jump ball at centre court between Ibaka and Vucevic. The tip went to Harris, but his 3-point attempt came after the buzzer. "We had our chance to take it to overtime," Afflalo said. "It would have been great momentum for us. . It just didnt happen." NOTES: The Pacers can improve to 12-0 at home when they host Detroit on Monday night. ... Sefolosha returned to the starting lineup after missing three games due to a sprained knee. He finished with six points in 23:01. . Oklahoma City recorded its 100th straight sellout at Chesapeake Energy Arena, which seats 18,203. . Davis left the game holding his left shoulder with 2:06 left but returned in the final seconds. 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