What a game! Another 60-win team goes down after the No.1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder allowed the Denver Nuggets, who were just coming off a tough seven-game series against the Clippers, to steal game 1 of the West semifinals, all thanks to an Aaron Gordon game-winning three. In addition, this is already AG’s second game-winning shot in this year’s playoffs alone!
However, Gordon’s clutch basket and the Nuggets’ recovering from being down 13 in the fourth might just be the result of the Thunder’s late coaching blunders.
After Chet Holmgren missed both free throws that would have put them up by three points, the Nuggets’ wide playoff experience quickly kicked in. A sprinting Russell Westbrook saw Aaron Gordon in transition, who sank a hail mary three with just 2.8 seconds left in the clock, putting them up 121-119. Take note that Denver has been trailing throughout the game, until Nikola Jokic led a 26-13 rally in the fourth quarter.
Aside from a historic performance by Jokic and AG’s game-winner, the final two minutes may just be OKC’s worst-coached final two minutes in a playoff game–and here’s why.
First, coach Mark Daigneault challenged a foul called on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, despite SGA telling him not to. This would begin their catastrophic final moments
Then, Daigneault put Alex Caruso on a 7-foot Jokic. Despite Caruso’s epic night, Jokic has been bullying Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, and Caruso isn’t a better rim protector at all. The Joker would then bully his way into the paint, scoring 18 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Then came crunch time, when the Thunder, while up by three with 13.2 seconds left, could have easily let the Nuggets attempt a shot. OKC is the league’s best defensive team while Denver is the team with the lowest three-point attempt, hence why the odds of the Thunder, with Lu Dort and Caruso defending the wing, to make a stop are highly likely. Unfortunately, Daigneault didn’t like those odds. He wanted to orchestrate a series of intentional fouls and hope the Nuggets miss their free throws. Well, they didn’t.
What’s even worst is, the second time they intetionally fouled, they gave the Nuggets an opportunity to bring Jokic back on the floor. Denver had no timeouts left but that foul game them a chance to change lineups, and the rest is history.
The OKC Thunder were heavily favored to win this series coming into game 1. But after choking and blowing up a huge lead, fans are now questioning if they have what it takes to win it all. They’re well rested after a clean sweep against the Memphis Grizzlies yet they lost game 1 against a tired Denver Nuggets who turned the ball over 18 times. Should OKC be worried?
