Oklahoma City - Regardless of the circumstances in court, one of the defining characteristics of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the supernatural calm he brings.

But for two days, the Oklahoma City Thunder star was in games against the Denver Nuggets in Games 6 and 7 of the second round of the playoff series, Gilgeous-Alexander went through something rare - for him anyway.

"I'm nervous to be honest," Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder won a 125-93 victory over the Nuggets, making his first conference final appearance since 2016. “Just know something.

The Thunder showed signs of this tension early in the game, missing 10 of 10 in the first 15 goals, trailing 21-10 with a 5-31 run in Aaron Gordon's 3-point game. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Gordon was even a small miracle in the game considering he suffered from Level 2 hamstring pressure at the end of Game 6. This level of hamstring usually eliminates players for 4-6 weeks instead of 48 hours.

But Gordon was determined to play and contribute. Earlier, when the NBA's smallest team, Thunder, struggled with their tension, seemed to give the Nuggets emotional and physical lift.

But in the end, the Thunder returned to the main, high-pressure defensive team that won 68 games, the most regular season victory in the sixth season in NBA history.

“I think the nerves are natural,” Gill Alksend said. “We were actually shooting horriblely to start the game. But I know we looked very good and if we stick with it, we would relax and the ball would find the rim.

"I never worried about this as much as we started. Once I felt the flow of the game, we had the right intentions and the right energy, and I knew it would turn around."

This turnaround happened in the second quarter as the Thunder led 18-5 in the last 3:11 of the half and 60-46. All-Star Swinger Jalen Williams scored 11 points in those 18 points, all five of his shots. Williams later said he was also full of nerves and excitement before the game and had hardly slept the night before.

"You never know how many games you want to get," Williams said. "It's a great opportunity. So I'm even more excited about playing and getting that opportunity."

Williams is the key to breaking the area defensive area that Denver is so effective throughout the series. According to ESPN's research, the Thunder shot just 39% from the field and made 18 turnovers against Denver District in Game 1-6. In Game 7, Oklahoma City finally broke, with 31 (45%) in 69 shots against the area. Williams’ ability to drive into teeth helped a lot, as Oklahoma averaged 1.50 points per game when Williams got the ball.

The Thunder also exploits Gordon's damage by attacking the transition edge. According to ESPN's research, they made 27 layups and dunks in Game 7, and the second-largest team on any team tied for second in the game this season.

Defensively, the Thunder made a strict adjustment in Game 7, deploying the 6-foot-5 Alex Caruso to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is 6-foot-11. According to Genius IQ, Caruso defended Jokic for 40 half-time matchups in Game 7, the most Jokic has in any game of his career. Caruso actively turned the ball off from Jokic, making up for the adverse effects of height and weight, and then trusted a helping defender like Chet Holmgren.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Caruso said. “Obviously, he’s an amazing player. His resume speaks for itself, but he’s a tough showdown because he does a lot of different things to get others involved and influence the game.

“So, for me, it’s just competition… the energy to which I’m relentless, making him hard work on him, and obviously the guys around me are helping and flocking because I’m not alone to do that.”

According to Genius IQ, Jokic averaged 103.8 contacts per 100 games in Game 7, the fewest in any playoffs of his career. When he hit the ball, he only accounts for 0.78 points per possession, and Caruso is on him.

Caruso is one of the Thunder’s biggest offseason acquisitions this year, a Thunder in a deal that sent Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls. He started his G League career as OKC Blue, but continued to win the championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and established himself as one of the league's highest perimeter defenders.

When asked how he used his experience this year, Caruso said, “I was lucky enough to be able to play with the Hall of Fame, directed by the elite of the Hall of Fame.” “I just steal from other people, hone it and work hard, and now I’m trying to pass it on to others.

"I think they did a great job in this. Our level of communication, our sense of urgency, our ability to analyze and move forward is much better than I thought. This is when I first came here. That's the key is to use what I learned from other people and pass it on to others and improve me."