In the days leading up to Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, it felt as if the walls may be closing in on the youngest team in the playoffs.
With a chance to close out the series in Denver, OKC came up short across the board. Jalen Williams scored just six points. Role players underperformed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander committed unnecessary fouls and put his team at a disadvantage.
Three days later, everything flipped.
Williams scored 17 points in the second quarter. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace turned in high-level performances. Most importantly, OKC looked like the team it was all season long, defeating Denver 125-93 and advancing to its first Western Conference Finals since 2016.
Sunday’s win makes last season’s playoff loss to Dallas feel like a distant memory, but the two are clearly connected.
The things that led to last season’s semifinal loss were simple.
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have enough help from Williams and Chet Holmgren. The young role players of the Thunder weren’t ready for a massive moment. Size and rebounding plagued OKC down low against the likes of Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.
Against Denver, all of the things that weighed OKC down against Dallas were positives.
Williams was terrific, scoring 24 points and recording seven assists. Holmgren played his role well, scoring 13 and grabbing 11 rebounds. Wallace and Caruso starred defensively, highlighted by Caruso confounding Nikola Jokic with overwhelming physicality and quick hands. The duo combined for 18 points and had timely dunks and 3s. Another offseason acquisition, Isaiah Hartenstein, played fewer minutes than usual, but he was effective in his 17 minutes.
All of those things contributed to a potentially franchise-altering win in Game 7, but the bounce-back by Williams could be what takes OKC from a very good team to a great one.
Jayson Tatum had Jaylen Brown. Jokic had Jamal Murray. Giannis Antetokounmpo had Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton. No matter how good a team’s No. 1 is, and Gilgeous-Alexander is amongst the best in that category, an offensive No. 2 is a must-have if a team wants to win a championship.
In Game 6, Williams looked too young. He looked like he wasn’t ready to meet the critical moment that his team was in.
In Game 7, he looked like the star he is.
His 17-point second quarter played a huge role in swinging the game in OKC’s favor. His defense, both on and off-ball, was pristine. He has blossomed into OKC’s best playmaker.
Game 7 was more than just another game for the Thunder. It was more than a must-win. It was an opportunity for Williams to stamp himself as a certified star on a national stage. It was time for him to grow up in front of the world.
And he did.
Williams’ performance didn’t just prove that he is a more than capable Robin to Gilgeous-Alexander’s Batman; it showed that he is ready now.
With a gut-check series win in the rearview, OKC and Williams proved they are ready. With Minnesota up next, the path doesn’t ease up for the Thunder, but it needed to prove to the world and itself that it could match the moment — and it did just that.
