Jalen Williams reflects on Round 2 series win over Nuggets, how Thunder grew from it
That wasn't just outside noise, either. Jalen Williams felt the same way. He discussed the grueling seven-game series in his "The Young Man and The Three" podcast episode, which was recently published. Nearly two months removed from a blowout Game 7 win, the 24-year-old said OKC shattered through its ceiling with that series victory.
"I'm not gonna say we thought, 'Oh, we can win it if we get past Denver,'" Williams said. "It's just more like let's get over the hurdle that we were challenged with last year to show that we got better."
There were several moments throughout the playoff series that frightened Thunder fans. Entering as the heavy favorite, the Nuggets served the first punch when Aaron Gordon handed OKC its first playoff loss with a Game 1 game-winner that stunned the crowd.
While not as dramatic, the Nuggets delivered again with their Game 3 overtime win. Suddenly, they had a couple of series leads through three games. Up 1-0 and 2-1. All the pressure was on the Thunder not to suffer a catastrophic collapse. A lot of bad memories from last year's Round 2 exit against the Dallas Mavericks resurfaced.
"I think last year, that would have devastated us," Williams said. "Once you've been through the playoffs one time, it forces you to be a different person. There's so many emotional swings and ups and downs of the playoffs that it didn't really phase us too much... It sucked, but you can't feel sorry for yourself and lock back in."
And the Thunder did that. In a tight back-and-forth Game 5, Williams' catch-and-shoot 3-pointer gave the Thunder the go-ahead lead in the final moments. In a championship run, that was probably the 24-year-old's best singular moment from the run. He screamed at his injured wrist in celebration as OKC held a 3-2 series lead.
It was a big-time moment that saw the Thunder mature from a young, up-and-coming squad to the team to beat and eventual NBA champion. They'll now enter next season as every other team's top date. That happens when you have one of the most dominating seasons in league history.
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