Thunder and the Nuggets. Nikola Jokić with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Game 7! A high-risk showdown on Sunday (3:30 ET) will end the dramatic second round of the NBA playoffs. Who will go to the Western Conference Finals to face the Timberwolves? Let's break it down.

What are you most excited about Game 7?

Ben Rohrbach: Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two leading MVP candidates in the NBA have launched a war in Game 7 each of the past two seasons. What do you don't like? One is a surgeon and the other is a surgeon. It's a style clash between the best big guy in basketball and the best guard. They are rarely disappointing.

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Tom Haberstroh: despair. Danger: The Thunder may be the most winning team to miss the final. The Nuggets don't want to be a second round again - especially after witnessing Nikola Jokić's triple-double season. Most importantly, can we hold an MVP ceremony before the competition, will this tighten the screws even more? As the NCAA Championships show us every year, nothing is better than basketball with Do-or-Die Stakes.

and titus: After a nightly marathon since April 18, the one-day break is torture. But it's worth the wait, as we'll win two MVP finalists to compete in Game 7 of the semi-finals. Will Denver's unshakable elasticity prevail? Or is the young Thunder ready to seize this moment? It's the kind of high-stakes drama that makes NBA playoffs must-see TV.

Morten Stig Jensen: For me, this is the MVP angle. It might be simple, but I'm a fool in the playoff series, with two leading candidates directly opposite. Now, we have the seventh match between Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Give me all the drama and all the narratives that come afterwards.

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Jason Owens: What's not excited? The best teams in the NBA seek to make a playoff breakthrough with former champions. The assumed MVP with the best players in the world. In the eyes of many, the winner will be a favorite to win the NBA championship. This is something that is the legend of the NBA playoffs.

What is the biggest key to the Thunder in Game 7?

Harts: Will the real Jaren Williams stand up? I'm not talking about his teammate Jaylin. I'm talking about the fourth quarter assassin Jalen Williams, one of the best clutch players in the past two seasons. He is mainly Mia in this series, and the Thunder needs him to step up 16-3 in Game 6.

Owens: Let Jaylen Williams go. SGA will get him. Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins' substitute mob will be delivered collectively. But Jalen Williams’ contribution to the series is unstable at best, with his six-point effort playing a big role in Thursday’s sixth game. If the All-Stars stand up with their teammates, OKC will be hard to beat.

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Jensen: Is it too easy to say "shoot"? The Thunder have been in a serious fight behind the long team, and while their problems aren't over yet, let's not pretend that this doesn't seem to be the main reason they even found themselves in Game 7. Wave the ball, seek the corner, and let that bad boy fly.

Titus: Rebound war. If the Nuggets remain that competitive, it would be because of their rebounding and the chance to generate a second chance. In this series, the Thunder allowed 19.7 second chances to score in their game, while their second frequency was only 12 points. Isaiah Hartenstein will go all out with Jokić, but if the thunder keeps pace on the glass, it will put them in a favorable position to win.

Rollbach: Can Jalen Williams answer the bell as a second option? From the moment the playoffs began, it was the biggest problem facing the young Thunder and fears that the impact of the All-Star forward will only grow as he shot 33.7% from the field in the series. They say role players play better roles at home, but the Thunder need Williams to achieve their ultimate goal far beyond that.

What is the biggest key to the Nuggets in Game 7?

Jensen: Jokić needs to be Jokić, and perhaps more importantly: the support actors must be prepared and effective. We can't get a 17-17 score from Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr.

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Rollbach: healthy. Aaron Gordon's status is doubtful as he fights hamstrings to fight injuries. Michael Porter Jr.'s shoulders were wrapped in bandages. Jamal Murray fell ill in Game 6. Inflammation of left foot gave Russell Westbrook a game earlier in the playoffs. These Nuggets have only a lot of options, and most of them are experiencing it. How many of them left in Game 7?

Titus: I will follow Jokić’s protagonist to say “defense and details.” It is crucial to decide on the pace and protect the rock. Assisted actors are the key. Before Game 6, Braun and Murray shot 33.5% and 39.5% from the field in this series, respectively. With injuries and opportunities hurt, role-players like Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson must feel their presence.

Owens: Seek help for Nikola Jokić. Jokić performed more times in these playoffs, such as his three-time MVP ego. This doesn't always translate into victory. Denver's success formula involves Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and the bench. For Denver, a big Jamal Murray game is always good news.

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Harts: Role-players must become stars. Christian Braun. Russell Westbrook. Julian Strauser (again). Peyton Watson. Probably without Aaron Gordon's Game 7, the Nuggets will have to find monster performances from unlikely sources. It will be even harder in Game 7, but we should never underestimate the heart of the championship.

Game 7 prediction! Who makes the Western Conference Finals: Thunder or the Nuggets?

Titus: thunder. Gordon deals with a hamstring injury and plays with one arm, which is too much to overcome on the road, compared to this suffocating and stingy defense.

Harts: thunder. If Gordon can't try it, I think the mountain is too steep for Denver to climb. The Thunder may release Alex Caruso and cause more than 40 minutes of damage in the short-handed Nuggets. If this game was in Denver, I might have been different.

Rollbach: thunder. They are deeper teams and make a difference at home.

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Owens: thunder. The same goes for this series, with the team's game going back to the regular season 5-5. The edges will be thin, and the injury is even limited Aaron Gordon may prove that too shallow nuggets of thunder are too much for Reit. Oklahoma City draft pick.

Jensen: Ah, another Sophie's choice. Look, I'm just preparing for any possible situation to get close to this game. If you tell me the thunder victory at 40, I can see it. If you tell me they won with 1, that's totally reasonable. The same goes for Denver. But, since I'm a coward right now, I'm going to say Denver at a close distance and fully realize that I look like an idiot.

True or Wrong: The winner of Game 7 will be the 2025 NBA champion.

Owens: real. The Supreme Challenger of the East has been completed. The Thunder are the best team in basketball. If they win, they are still an obvious favorite. If the Nuggets win, they will be at the heart of the roster that won the championship two seasons ago, including the best player in the game. Although the Timberwolves may have something to say about it, the rest of the team does not boast about this lineage.

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Titus: Wrong. In the playoffs, we saw most of the top dogs fall and I had the Knicks and the Timberwolves reaching the NBA finals.

Harts: Yes, if it's OKC. But if the Nuggets get hot and steal 7 games in OKC, I'm worried that Gordon's hamstring injury could make him stand out (if not all) in the Western Conference Finals that began Tuesday. In this case, I will go with the remaining wolf.

Jensen: Wrong. If the Timberwolves reach the NBA finals, I'll find the chances in Indiana or New York are great. Plus, in this playoffs, we can almost throw predictability out the window.

Rollbach: it depends. If my prediction is correct and the Thunder wins Game 7, that's true. They are the best team in the league all season and are more ferocious than the Timberwolves. I can't say the injured Nuggets are the same. For them, survival game seven will be a surprise. It would be a miracle to survive another series. It's certainly going to win anyone in the West will win the finals, but it won't be Denver.