They weren't that thin for the Denver Nuggets. They were as thick as Nikola Jokić. The best player in the world had the 68-win Thunder on the ropes multiple times. Jokić outplayed presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a second-round series that went seven games but ended in an OKC blowout.

After a monster Game 1 performance, Jokić hasn't quite figured out OKC. For Denver's sake, it's vital that he does.

The Nuggets were not passengers on this ride. They were chaperones. Gordon, on one good leg that would have forced him to miss most or all of the next series, was Denver’s third-best player.