Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Stayed True to Identity to Clinch Nuggets Series

There is no question Sunday was the biggest stage this core has ever been on. A Game 7 at home as the heavy favorites in the series, attempting to avoid being upset and washing away a historic 68-win season too soon.

Oklahoma City started the game timid. Missing open shots, getting beat on back door cuts and a step slow to long rebounds that found their way into the hands of Denver far too often. This let the Nuggets swell an 11-point lead as nervous energy flooded the Paycom Center crowd.

The Thunder responded. As they have done all season.

Alex Caruso checked into the ball game and instantly forced a travel on Christian Braun in the corner. The veteran defensive ace turned to the crowd in a unique way, not encouraging more noise but encouraging a steadiness he is used to supplying to his teammates. Caruso clapped his paws together and sent his palms to the floor as if to plead with everyone to calm down.

From there, the Thunder rolled. Caruso went nine rounds with Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, doing whatever was required to take the best player in the world out of the game. The duo went body blow for body blow, Caruso swatted, swarmed and suffocated Jokic to take away entry passes and force kick-outs to streaky shooters who went ice-cold.

That response went deeper than just the Thunder gaining control of this game after the Nuggets threw the first punch. Third-year swingman Jalen Williams turned in one of his worst outings in Game 6, with plenty of questions swirling around the Santa Clara product heading into Game 7.

Williams was right in the middle of the action on Sunday. In the second quarter, the Thunder's All-Star rattled off 17 points, two assists and a steal on a jaw-dropping 72% shooting from the floor, turning defense into offense to the tune of a +22 in the box score plus-minutes for those 11 minutes he played in the second frame.

He responded in a big way,, totaling 24 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and a steal on 58/40/66 shooting splits as a +35 in the game. A response.

The Thunder leaned on its defense. As it has all season long.

Oklahoma City forced a jaw-dropping 22 turnovers in Game 7 against Denver, leading to 27 fastbreak points. That turned the tide of the game as the Thunder's half court offense has labored throughout the series. The easiest fix? Never be forced to play in the half court.

As the Thunder stacked stops, they were either sprinting out in transition for easy buckets or racing down the floor to get into their initial action before the Nuggets' pesky zone defense could even get set.

OKC held Denver to just 39% shooting from the floor, the Nuggets converted on just 22% of their 3-point tries and couldn't make up the possession battle on the glass only out-rebounding the Thunder by three boards.

Oklahoma City's defense was more physical than its counterparts and it forced the Nuggets into uncomfortable spots. So much so that Jokic only attempted one (1) shot in the third frame as the Thunder's lead ballooned, eventually being up by as many as 43.

After its two-game winning streak was snapped, the Thunder responded to a loss with a win. As they did all season and the series.

This game was a testament to the regular season mattering. Oklahoma City rattled off enough wins to own home-court advantage in every series they play this season. The Thunder relied on depth to get them here, developing players to be ready to contribute at various moments throughout this postseason already. Using an 82-game season to build an identity on its historically great defense, responding to adversity and passing more tests than any young team in the history of the NBA ever has.

The Thunder stayed true to who they are. Title contenders.

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