Aaron Gordon willed himself to play through pain, embodying a gritty playoff run by the Nuggets. But resilience and toughness weren’t enough against the Thunder.

For all the misconstruing that happens in these NBA Playoffs, Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets brought out the OKC Thunder team Mark Daigneault recognized.

What Williams said, exactly, couldn't be heard over the deafening home crowd. Maybe that was for the best, but the ball shouldn't take it personally. The real message was meant for Williams' critics,