“Last Year That Would’ve Devastated Us”: Jalen Williams Speaks on Thunder’s Growth Using Aaron Gordon’s Game-Winner as Example

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally got over the hump to win the 2025 NBA championship. Despite their dominant season, they were pushed to the brink on a couple of occasions. Thunder star Jalen Williams highlighted a specific moment that would’ve broken the team in any previous year.

In the 2024 postseason, the Thunder’s youth was on full display during their second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. They were the top seed in the West yet fell short in six games. The regular season wasn’t a good measuring stick any longer. OKC had to prove that they could win on basketball’s biggest stage.

The first true test came against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2025 playoffs. Game 1 didn’t just end poorly; it was an utter disaster. The Nuggets went on a 15-4 run, which the Thunder fueled by controversially sending Denver to the free-throw line in the final minute.

The game concluded with a pair of missed free throws by Chet Holmgren, then the game-winning three-pointer by Aaron Gordon. The collapse was so great that Jalen Williams believes it could’ve had a different implication on the team if it were last year’s squad.

“I think last year that would have devastated us,” Williams said on The Young Man and The Three. “This year was just like, once you’ve been through the playoffs one time, I think it forces you to be a different person.”

In 2024, when the Mavericks threw a haymaker at the Thunder, they didn’t know how to respond. It was their first time dealing with adversity on such a big stage. The heartbreak of elimination prepared Williams and the rest of the team for when adversity came knocking at the door once more.

“There’s so many emotional swings and ups and downs of the playoffs that it really didn’t phase us too much,” Williams said. “We understood that we gave a game away. Now we’ve got to win this next game, then we’ve got to go get two over there.”

People forget the Nuggets were up 2-1 in that series before the Thunder ultimately won in seven games. The NBA Finals followed the same blueprint.

Tyrese Haliburton knocked down a game-winner in the closing seconds in Game 1. Shortly after, the Thunder fell 2-1 after a Game 3 loss. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an all-time performance in Game 4 to keep their season alive. Williams followed that up with 40 points in Game 5 to give OKC a 3-2 lead.

OKC was battle-tested throughout their entire championship run. Experience plays a big role, even if it’s just a year’s worth. Williams now has the hardware to defend that stance.