So, this is like the classic determination vs health problem. Aaron Gordon had just messed up his hamstring, which had to be super painful, but he still started for the Nuggets in Game 7 against the Thunder. I get why he’d want to play – it’s Game 7, your whole season is on the line, and you don't want to let the team down. Sometimes athletes just throw caution out the window when it’s do-or-die, and Gordon is a huge part of that team.

From what I remember, Gordon was hustling early and actually grabbed 11 rebounds (4 of them offensive!), but you could tell he was struggling – like, he was limping and couldn't really go full speed. He only played 24 minutes and didn’t even play the fourth quarter. I don’t think it really helped the Nuggets in the end, ‘cause by then the Thunder were just dominating, and Denver needed everyone at 100%.

Honestly, it probably made things worse. The Nuggets might’ve been better off letting him rest and using a fully healthy player, but I totally respect the effort. Injuries suck in big games like this. I’ve seen it happen on my school team too – people try to push through, and sometimes it just doesn't work out.