OKC conquers nerves to roll Nuggets, reach WCF

OKLAHOMA CITY -- One of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's defining characteristics is the preternatural calm he carries himself with, no matter the situation on the court.

But during the two days the Oklahoma City Thunder star had off between Game 6 and 7 of their Western Conference second round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Gilgeous-Alexander experienced something rare -- for him anyway.

"I was nervous, to be honest," Gilgeous-Alexander said after scoring a game-high 35 points in the Thunder's 125-93 win over the Nuggets, to give the franchise its first conference finals appearance since 2016. "Just knowing what was on the line. ...To know if you don't bring your 'A' game it could all be over. But I think that nervousness motivated me."

The Thunder showed signs of that nervousness early in the game, missing 10 of their first 15 shots to fall behind 21-10 on Aaron Gordon's 3-point play with 5:31 to go in the first quarter. That Gordon was even in the game was a minor miracle, considering he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain at the end of Game 6, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. That level of hamstring strain usually keeps a player out 4-6 weeks, not 48 hours.

But Gordon was determined to play and contribute however he could. Early on, it seemed that gave the Nuggets an emotional and physical lift as the Thunder, the NBA's youngest team, battled through their nerves.

But eventually the Thunder found their way back to the dominant, high-pressure defensive team that won 68 games -- the sixth-most regular season wins in NBA history.

"I think the nerves were natural," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We actually shot horribly to start the game. But I knew we were getting really good looks and if we just stuck with it, we would loosen up and the ball would find the basket.

"I never was worried about this the way we started. Once I felt the flow of the game and we had the right intentions and the right energy, I knew it would turn around."

That turnaround happened in the second quarter as the Thunder went on an 18-5 run in the final 3:11 of the half for a 60-46 lead. All-Star swingman Jalen Williams had 11 of those 18 points, making all five of his shots. Williams said afterwards that he too was a mix of nerves and excitement before the game and barely slept the night before.

"You never know how many Game 7s you're going to get," Williams said. "It's an opportunity to be great. So I was just more excited about playing and getting that opportunity."

Williams was key to breaking the zone defense Denver used so effectively throughout the series. According to ESPN Research, the Thunder shot just 39% from the field and had 18 turnovers against Denver's zone in Games 1-6. In Game 7, Oklahoma City finally broke through, hitting 31 of their 69 shots against the zone (45 percent). Williams' ability to drive into the teeth of it helped tremendously, as OKC averaged 1.50 points per possession when Williams had the ball.

The Thunder also took advantage of Gordon's injury by attacking the rim in transition. According to ESPN Research they made 27 layups and dunks in Game 7, tied for the second most by any team in a game this postseason.

Defensively, the Thunder made a critical adjustment in Game 7 by deploying 6-foot-5 Alex Caruso onto three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who stands 6-foot-11. According to Genius IQ, Caruso defended Jokic for 40 halfcourt matchups in Game 7, the most by a guard on Jokic in any game of his career. Caruso made up for the height and weight disadvantage by aggressively fronting Jokic, denying him the ball, then trusting in help defenders behind him like Chet Holmgren.

"It's a lot of hard work," Caruso said. "Obviously he's a phenomenal player. His resume speaks for itself, but he's a difficult matchup because he just does so many different things to get others involved and to influence the game.

"So for me it's just about competing ...being relentless with my energy, the effort to make it tough on him and obviously the guys around me did a good job of helping and swarming that because I'm not doing that on my own."

According to Genius IQ, Jokic averaged 103.8 touches per 100 possessions in Game 7, the fewest in any playoff game in his career. He only accounted for 0.78 points per possession when he did touch the ball and Caruso was on him.

Caruso was one of the Thunder's biggest offseason acquisitions this year, coming to the Thunder in a trade that sent Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls. He started his career in the G League with the OKC Blue, but went on to win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and establish himself as one of the top perimeter defenders in the league.

"I've been fortunate enough to play with Hall of Famers, been coached by Hall of Famers, the elite of the elite," Caruso said, when asked how he's used his experience this year. "I've just been stealing stuff from other people and honing it and working on it and now I'm trying to pass it on to the rest of the guys

"I think that they've done a good job of that. Our communication level, our sense of urgency, our ability to dissect and move forward is a lot better than it was I think when I first got here. And that's the key is using that stuff that I've learned from other people and passing it on to the others and elevate me too."