The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder silenced their doubters with a rout in opposition to Denver in Recreation 7

Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports activities NBA Author

The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder confirmed that they are no fluke.

With a visit to the Western Convention Finals on the road in a winner-takes-all Recreation 7 that pitted the highest two MVP contenders in opposition to each other in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, the Thunder proved that their NBA-best file and their top-rated protection weren’t successes confined to the common season.

The youngest staff within the postseason not solely stood as much as a Denver Nuggets staff that had gained a championship two years in the past and routed the LA Clippers in a Recreation 7 within the first spherical of those playoffs, they annihilated them.

After the Nuggets jumped to an 11-point lead within the first quarter, the Thunder responded by outscoring them within the second interval, 39-20, and led by as many as 43 factors within the fourth quarter.

It was a shocking win for a staff that appeared nice, however wasn’t actually battle-tested. Final season, the Thunder additionally completed with the No. 1 file within the Western Convention, however fell aside in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks within the second spherical of the playoffs.

This was their probability to show that they’d actual postseason chops.

The Thunder emphatically answered any questions on whether or not they had been prepared for this stage. They reworked a battle-tested Nuggets staff with a famous person who’s broadly thought of the best participant on the planet right into a ragtag group that regarded deflated and shocked other than the primary quarter.

Whereas Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder’s offensive cost with 35 factors, Alex Caruso was the pinnacle of the snake on the opposite finish of the courtroom. The 6-foot-5, former undrafted participant nearly single-handedly unraveled the Nuggets’ offense at instances, robbing them of their confidence.

Caruso, a former NBA champion whom the Thunder acquired final summer season for moments like this, completed with the very best plus-minus of anybody on the courtroom (+40). He helped power the Nuggets to commit 22 turnovers, greater than twice as many because the Thunder’s 9. The Thunder outscored the Nuggets in fast-break factors, 27-14.

The Nuggets crumpled after the primary quarter, regardless of 20 factors, 9 rebounds and 7 assists from Jokic, 19 factors from Christian Braun and a gutsy displaying from Aaron Gordon, who performed regardless of struggling a grade 2 hamstring pressure in Recreation 6.

As for the Thunder, they’re advancing to their first convention finals since 2016, with Recreation 1 in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves set for Tuesday. The Thunder will probably be attempting to win their first title since relocating from Seattle in 2008.

And although they’re younger and unproven, they despatched a robust message to the three remaining groups within the postseason.

The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder is not only a regular-season phenom who cannot deal with the intense lights of the playoffs, when strain intensifies, benches shrink and physicality reaches a feverish stage.

They’re greater than prepared for this second.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA author for FOX Sports activities. She beforehand coated the league for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Instances, the Bay Space Information Group and the San Antonio Specific-Information. Observe her on Twitter @melissarohlin.