Nuggets fans immediately feared the worst when they saw Aaron Gordon pull up and start grabbing at his hamstring in the final minutes of Game 6. The Nuggets held on to win that game without Gordon, and there was some hope that he escaped with just a tweak and would have gone back in if the game had been closer.
On Friday, we found out from Shams Charania that Gordon suffered a strain and his status for Game 7 was in serious doubt. But on Saturday, AG was able to participate in the team’s walk-through, and David Adelman offered some encouraging comments, suggesting Gordon was a game-time decision and there was optimism he could play.
Grade 2 hamstring strain for Gordon is disastrous
The really bad news came on Sunday morning, hours before tip-off of the biggest game of the season. Shams Charania offered a disturbing update, reporting that the hamstring strain for Gordon is a grade 2 strain, an injury that takes weeks, if not months, to recover from.
Charania added that Gordon has been searching for any possible way to try and suit up for his team on Sunday, but that it’s “becoming physically improbable to do so”. This isn’t quite the worst-case scenario, but it’s pretty close given the timing.
Gordon will almost certainly miss Game 7, and even if the Nuggets pull out a win without him, he’d likely miss the Western Conference Finals and possibly the NBA Finals as well.
Nuggets must lean into small-ball lineups
It’s not the most intriguing option in the world, but the Nuggets have no choice but to go super-small in this Game 7 and hope to throw the Thunder off with speed and pace. Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook both figure to play much bigger roles now, and the guards will be counted on to crash the glass and impose their will in transition as much as possible.
Denver was already overmatched, and that will be amplified tenfold without Gordon, but they can scrap and claw their way to the finish line if everyone is on point. That means we need to get an elite, legacy type of game from both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
It means Michael Porter Jr. has to find a way to knock down a few big shots and not be a total liability on the defensive end. Christian Braun and Julian Strawther have to build on their breakout offensive games last time out and keep giving the Nuggets other options on that end.
Never count out Russ and Jokic
And it means that Russell Westbrook now becomes one of the defining players in this monumental Game 7. The story truly writes itself: Russ built his career in OKC, growing up there, and becoming one of the most beloved players of all time. But he couldn’t get over the hump and left to pursue a ring while the Thunder rebuilt.
Now, everything has come full circle as both Russ and OKC are vying to reach the Finals while standing in each other’s way. Russ will have a much bigger role than anyone could have expected, and it’s an opportunity for him to become an x-factor and rise to the moment. Nobody will be more fired up for this situation, and there’s nothing he would rather do than end this magical Thunder season on their home floor.
It’s not going to be easy at all on Sunday, but dare to dream, and don’t ever count out the Joker.